How to be a Hero
by Lucareeo
Summary: Shouto Todoroki is a cold Pro Hero who refuses to use his fire side. He refuses to be like his father, Endeavor, but every day it seems like he's becoming more like him. Shouto meets up with Izuku Midoriya, a quirkless Pro Hero counselor and discovers that his power is his own. Also... he might be falling in love with counselor.
1. Session 1

His father always made being a pro-hero look easy. Endeavor was loud, prideful, and always ready to push people out of the way if it helped him with his goals. Shouto Todoroki wasn't like his father at all. Always the opposite.

Shouto Todoroki resented his father. Loathed him and would probably continue to deny him everything until his last dying breath. Even after becoming a pro hero, Shouto refused to use his fire side. He vowed that he would only use his mother's quirk in battle and become the best – the No. 1 hero – with only her passed down gift.

It was the best kind of revenge, at least in his opinion. He had gone through UA with only his ice powers, managing to become a pro-hero straight out of school after interning with different pro heroes. (He remembered when his father suggested he worked in his office, Shouto also remembered laughing stoically and walking away.)

His classmates all had graduated and went their separate ways, most of them going into hero firms as interns or as sidekicks. Shouto didn't make any friends really, though he kept in contact with most of them knowing they'd all be successful heroes eventually. If he needed favors that required certain quirks, he'd consider meeting up with one of them.

The issue about being a student from U.A was that people had accessed to your personal information. The Sports Festival back in his school days helped get his name out there, but of course, led to people knowing his quirks and tactics. He remembered the disadvantage his class had during the hero license exams; however, true to being students of U.A, they had all pulled through. Everyone except for himself and Bakugou.

Shouto didn't remember why Bakugou failed to get his hero license, but he had come face to face with a student from Shiketsu High. Inasa Yoarashi had made his hatred to him and his father clear. Shouto understood the feelings of disgust towards his father, but him? It made him frustrated. Upset. He was _nothing_ like his father. He didn't even use his fire side at all so why did that guy treat him like he was Endeavor's carbon copy?

" _I will never recognize the two of you as heroes-! That's all I have to say!"_

Those words haunted him throughout the rest of the exam, and even till this day. For some reason Inasa seem to have known him prior to the exam but Shouto never figured it out. He just knew that Inasa was the reason why he couldn't defeat Gang Orca and failed the exam. The boy was a nuisance to him that day and would probably continue to be.

He became a hero and that's what matters. So why wasn't he happy? Why weren't _other_ people happy?

Something Shouto noticed as that his popularity with civilians weren't as high as he hoped. Even his own father still had admirers to some degree. He once saw a newcomer popularity poll online and was curious enough to click on it. He had landed in the bottom 50's. Even Bakugou – now known as Explodo – ranked higher than him. That didn't set well with Shouto.

Once while patrolling he saw Tenya Iida, also known as Ingenium. He recognized the hero costume as it closely resembled the costume he wore during U.A as well as the previous Ingenium's design. The man was helping a few of his sidekicks get to know the area and about which parts of the city were the busiest when it came to crime and civilian help. The two had started up a conversation out of politeness.

"Ah, Todoroki! It's good to see you in great health! I suppose I should call you Freeze while on duty!" Though the man didn't notice, Todoroki had winced at the name. He was never one to make up creative names and he had to choose one before graduating. It was a suggestion from a classmate that he didn't seem to care much at the time. He sure as hell cared now.

"Todoroki is fine. How are you?" Civility override the fact that he truly didn't care if he got an answer or not.

"I'm doing well! I'm taking some new recruited sidekicks around town right now!" Iida turned to salute his new interns with one arm. Todoroki noticed the stump of the other arm that lied next to his side, recalling the time that Iida had come back after their own internships in U.A. It was a shock to everyone in class that Iida had confronted the Hero Killer and survived. Though he lost an arm, it was still absolutely terrifying to everyone.

"I better not waste your time then. Goodbye." As Shouto scanned the interns, who stared at him with curious eyes, he heard a soft whisper amongst them.

"Wow… He is as cold as they make him out to be."

Something inside Todoroki began to hurt, like somebody had pierced him with a small needle and began to sting. He looked back, face darkened, as Iida waved him off. Ingenium seemed to be oblivious to the sour mood of the other pro hero.

"See you another time Todoroki! Please feel free to stop by my office any time!" He called out. Ingenium's sidekicks; however, didn't share the same enthusiasm and friendliness as their employer. Todoroki continued his patrol, a new, frustrated kick in his step.

What did they meant by cold? It wasn't in respects to his power, they meant his personality. Frost began to form onto his right side, casting a cold atmosphere that followed him as he walked. A few people began to move away from his side, stepping out of his path. He began to fume slightly to himself, wondering why people always seem to think he had a cold disposition. Why was he of all people, unapproachable? He wanted to be a hero, and heroes were meant to inspire people not intimidate. So why? Why did it seem that people were treating him like… his father?

Shouto stopped suddenly. His right side was close to being encased all in ice. He took a look around at all of the pedestrians who stared at him and quickly hurried off.

"Look mama it's Freeze! You think I can get an autograph?"

"No not now honey, he looks angry."

Was he angry? Shouto didn't know since he never could really identify how he was feeling just by staring at the mirror. He knew someone that always looked angry though, and it became more and more of a concern that maybe… just maybe, he was turning into him.

-  
The office was located on the fifth floor of a building close to a few restaurants and cafes.

It was Creati, also known as Momo Yaoyorozu, who had recommended this specialist to him. She, herself, had gone into the office a couple of times to identify herself as a hero. Shouto recalled the times in UA that the girl began to seem less and less confident in herself.

" _The specialist, he's quite amazing really. I felt like I was lost during that part of my life and he helped me work through it, showing me what I was missing."_ That's how Yaoyorozu described this hero-specialist. Not only had she recommended the service, but many other of his classmates had agreed that they had gone in at one point to discuss their identities as heroes.

Shouto had done researched on the office, finding that both Uravity and Ingenium paid visits there before. He had stopped by Iida's office to ask about his experience there.

" _I see. Well, the reason I went was after I had picked up my brother's name officially, I was uncertain on whether or not I truly had deserved it. I actually met the specialist beforehand, during our schooldays as youths. He knew an awful lot about me after the incident in Hosu, and actually emailed me wanting to know if I was okay. Truly, I was shocked that a complete stranger reached out to me in that way but, he really changed my life."_

The way Iida spoke about the man was filled with admiration and respect. If Tenya Iida had so much respect for this man, then it was at least worth a shot.

So here he was, heading up an elevator to the office. The lobby was filled with magazines and toys, specifically action figures of heroes. Shouto assumed that this specialist also dealt with children quirk counseling alongside pro-hero therapy. What was more interesting was the fact there were multiple framed papers on the wall of different pro-heroes's signatures. He could make out an old notebook that had "ALL MIGHT" spread across two lined-pages. Did All Might come here while he was in his prime before he had to retire?

There were other names that caught his interest. Of course he saw Ingenium's signature as well as Creati, Uravity and even Red Riot and Tsukuyomi. Those were all names he recognized from his fellow classmates. Just how many people he knew gone here? If he had known that so many of his other classmates had gone, he would've made it a point to message and get in contact with them all.

Next to Red Riot's name was a large, chicken-scratch signature that seemed the go all around the page. It almost looked like a toddler's crayon work. He had no idea what it said, and of course with a little bit of ciphering he could at least see a few letters. Maybe it was in English, or another language all together.

"Hello, did you have an appointment?" The woman at the desk gave him a friendly, nervous smile. She had watched him come in and admire the lobby without acknowledging her.

"I'm sorry, yes I do. I have an appointment with the specialist, Mr.-" Shouto froze, forgetting the name of who he was meeting. If there were multiple people in this office he would have to shamefully explain that he was there for guidance of someone whose name wasn't in his mind.

"Oh, yes, of course, Shouto Todoroki correct?" The woman who had dark green hair and a plump disposition began to go through a large appointment book, running a pen down a list of names. "Here you are, your appointment is at 10:30am, you're a bit early. Oh uh, but there's nothing wrong with that!" She hurriedly offer the pen to the hero. "If you could sign and wait in the lobby that would be lovely!"

Todoroki took the pen and signed in, muttering a small thank you before heading towards the lobby's sofa to sit and wait. The woman bowed politely back to him and moved the appointment book down. He noticed how soft she looked, obviously a mother.

Sitting in the lobby, Todoroki kept his glance low in order to not make eye contact with the secretary. He looked at the magazines, noticing they were either hero-related or quirk-related. Catching glimpse of his own father on one of the covers, he picked up a different magazine and placed it over it.

He could only imagine what his father would think of him going to a hero counselor. The stigma was still real in the world but his father would've had a fit. Maybe yelling at him and calling him weak. Endeavor would've definitely been angry at him. _Perfect_.

Maybe that was one of the reasons why he agreed to take a chance and go to the office. His father had too much pride to go (or even consider), and while Shouto had his own kind of prideful resolve, he was convinced by his fellow classmate's recommendation.

The office door opened, a child hopped out with a mother in tow and a young man. The man, who Shouto inferred was the counselor, was a lean man that looked to be the same age as him. He was shorter than the mother, with a mop of curly green hair that swept a bit to the side. Dressed in black slacks and a white polo. Todoroki noticed a green tie that looked slightly off. Decorating his face was many freckles, but what was most appealing to Shouto was the smile he gave.

"I'll see you next week then! Great session today, give me a high five!" The man moved down onto a knee, holding a hand out to the young boy. The boy gave him a high five with a wide smile.

"Now give me a high five with your quirk!" The man offered up two hands. The boy's face broke out in a bigger smile, if that was even possible. His small hand had begun warping into a cylindrical disc, high fiving the therapist's two hands. He got up after, ruffling the boy's head and turned towards the mother.

"Thank you, Ms. Fujioka. Please let me know if anything comes up with Aiko at home before our next appointment. And please consider the quirk exercises I recommend, I think that would help him out have better control over it." The mother nodded, bowing to him as she and her son went over to secretary to schedule their next week's appointment.

"You must be Freeze!" Shouto's head turned to face the man, noticing his kind smile once again. He could only nod, unsure on how he would go about saying he didn't really like being called by his hero name.

"If you could give me one second," The therapist headed over to the secretary desk after the family had left. "Mom if you want, you can have your lunch early since the next two appointments are scheduled for an hour or so." The secretary, now identified as the therapist's _mother_ , smiled at him.

"Oh, alright Izuku, I think I will actually go down and grab something! Anything you'd like?" The woman got up and moved a sign that read "on lunch" onto her desk. The man shook his head and kissed her cheek.

"No thanks mom, see you in a bit!" The woman took her purse and placed a hand on her son's cheek before heading out the door. The therapist, now _Izuku_ , turned back towards Todoroki.

"Alright, let's head into my office, sorry for the wait, I know this is also your first appointment so I hope the wait doesn't deter you from coming back." He laughed a bit, leading Shouto into his office.

The first thing Shouto noticed about the office was the All Might poster behind the desks. There wasn't just one All Might poster, there were multiple. Two were on the side of a cabinet and a larger one was placed behind the office chair. Not only that, there was a figure of All Might on the man's desk, next to his planner and pen holder. On the side of the sofa that was placed in front of the office desk was two beanbag chairs and a two boxes of toys.

Todoroki awkwardly made his way to the sofa to sit down. The man took his chair from behind the desk and pulled it over to sit closer to the sofa, placing it to the side of it. He had a pen and notebook in his hand, the other was offered to Todoroki.

"Hi, I'm Izuku Midoriya, it's a pleasure to meet you Freeze, I know of your hero work!" He offered a smile, one that Todoroki wasn't able to recreate.

"Please, Shouto Todoroki, I prefer it." He took the hand, shaking it gently. Therapist – Izuku – took a seat into his chair and crossed a leg over the other.

"Alright, Todoroki, well, you're free to call me whatever. Even Izuku. A lot of the kids will call me that too," He chuckled at that before turning a page in his notebook. "Do you mind if I take notes?"

Shouto shook his head. Izuku smiled and nodding, writing a few things down.

"Alright, well, let's get started shall we? We can start with introductions if you'd like, or if you'd rather just get to the point and tell me why you're here." Shouto rubbed his left arm, staring at the ground.

"Uh, you can introduce yourself first." It wasn't like he was trying to avoid introducing himself, but at this point he was a bit curious. The room screamed fanboy, but for some reason it was cozy. A lot cozier than the room he once lived at in his youth.

"Well, as I said I'm Izuku Midoriya, I was raised in this district and I love heroes." His face lit up at the word. "Ever since I was a kid I would always analyze heroes, I actually had all these journals called 'Hero Analysis for the Future' when I was in… maybe middle school?" He laughed at that. "Um, I'm only 23, so I'm actually the youngest Pro-Hero counselor in the country. I work as a children's quirk development therapist, which I love, but I do pro-hero counseling too! I work with firms as a strategist planner and do quirk compatibility assessments. I think my favorite thing to do is helping pro-heroes with their future plan, more on the aspects surrounding their quirks than finances or marketing." Izuku rubbed his chin before blinking rapidly.

"Oh my god, sorry! I've sort of been going on and on about myself huh?" Izuku reached up to rub the back of his head. For some reason, Todoroki didn't mind listening. He's always been more of a listener, a quiet observer, but what the therapist was saying was honestly pretty interesting.

"May I ask what your quirk is?" Todoroki felt like that was information missing. Surely the man had a quirk that was perfect for his line of work, perhaps something analytical.

"Oh." Izuku's face fell ever so slightly, but enough for Todoroki to notice. "I actually don't have a quirk."

Todoroki's eyebrow raised. Izuku quickly smiled at him after noticing.

"I know I know! Eighty percent of the world has a quirk, I just happened to be a part of the small group that doesn't. You know, when I was younger I really wanted to be a hero." Izuku's face went soft, almost sad. "But you know, it's a bit difficult to do without having a quirk. I even tried applying to U.A but of course…" Izuku shrugged.

"So you had to give up your dream." Shouto mused over his own situation. He was born into a life of heroes, into a family that prepared him to become a hero. He had forgotten about those who were never able to reach their dreams, but then again, that was life – cruel.

"Well, not necessarily." Izuku clicked at his pen, uncrossing a leg. Shouto looked up to see a stern, determined look on his face. "I wasn't able to become a hero, but I've still always wanted to help others. It was tough at first, giving up that path but I found that I still had a talent for analyzing quirks. So, I went on online forums and started giving people advice on their powers. I did pros and cons, situational scenarios stuff like that you know? I actually got a message from someone a long time ago, he told me that if it wasn't for me he would've have gotten into U.A." Izuku's head turned to look at his laptop that was sitting on top his desk. A small smile spread across his face, his cheeks reddening.

"I think that was the moment I knew I could be a hero in a different way."

Todoroki blinked. He couldn't help but stare at this man and the genuine, kind look he had on his face. This was someone that people could look up to. This man had the face of a hero that young children would love and adults with respect. Something in his heart stirred.

Izuku blinked out of his gaze and turned back to Shouto, hand going up behind his head as became more and more frazzled.

"Oh jeez I'm sorry Todoroki, I didn't mean to go on about myself again! Ugh people are always telling me I talk too much, okay I'm going to shut up now." Izuku covered his face with an arm, his face flushing in embarrassment.

Shouto Todoroki did something he hadn't done in many years. He laughed. It was small, almost a step up from a chuckle, but it was a laugh nonetheless. Izuku unraveled his arm and looked at him questioningly, almost insulted.

"Don't apologize, I was the one who asked, thank you." Shouto stifled his laughter with throat clearing, leading Izuku to pout.

"Alright alright, so let's get back to business then. Why are you here?" Midoriya clicked his pen once again, Shouto's face falling. He took a moment to assess himself, his past and his future.

"I want to be a great hero, but it seems like I'm not." It was a quick summary of how he felt, all in one line. The sound of pen on paper could be heard during the silence. Izuku only looked at him, prompting him to go on.

"I feel that both civilians and other heroes find me intimidating." Shouto wasn't adept on sharing his feelings. His home life had taught him to bottle everything up, so anything he said would come out one sentence at a time. "I don't want to be a hero like-" He stopped. It was apparent to anyone that knew him back in Class 1-A that he refused to use his fire powers, but not even they knew the reason to it. Of course there were theories, but never had he once outright said how he felt about Endeavor and what he meant to him. Or didn't mean to him.

"Your father?" Shouto's head whipped up, his heart racing as he felt exposed in that moment. Izuku took one look at his face and nodded, writing it down.

"Was it obvious?" Shouto asked, his heart rate pumping faster than normal.

"Ah, well I guess it's not obvious to everyone, but for us children quirk development counselors, we actually see similar cases of what we call, um, 'quirk denial.'" Izuku wrote a few things down before placing his pen to the side, looking up to Shouto.

"There are difference scenarios where children- er, for the sake of research I'll be using children as an example, where children will refuse their quirks. The number one reason why children will refuse to use their quirk is actually because they have or fear harming others. That's the first, the second is actually when children resent a parent and refuse to use their passed down quirks." The explanation was to the point and it pinpointed exactly what Shouto had. There were other people who had gone through what he was currently feeling. Shouto didn't know if he felt relief or upset about that.

"I think a lot of us assumed that from you, um, since your information is public everyone knows that you have a fire and ice quirk." Izuku continued, his voice calm. "And knowing about Endeavor it gave us therapists a clue on why you don't use your fire side. Again, this was something we assumed because of our profession. Not many people who haven't had training on recognizing signs wouldn't know, in case you were worried about that."

Shouto's heart continued to pump. He didn't know he would go straight into _this_ topic during the session. His intentions on being here was to find a new plan to become a better hero, not to break down Shouto's life.

"Just so you know, Todoroki, everything in here is kept confidential, I assure you. Nothing will leave my mouth." Izuku reached up, holding an imaginary zipper and ran it across his lips. Shouto sighed softly, relaxing a tiny bit though his heart still pumped fast.

"I… I refuse to use his power." It came out in a whisper, but the office was quiet and so Izuku heard it perfectly.

"Todoroki, you don't have to answer if you don't want to, but may I ask _why?_ " Izuku didn't click his pen. He wasn't going to write anything down, he just wanted to hear him.

Shouto took a second to think. Why would he have to explain himself to a stranger he just met? Then again, it almost felt like they weren't strangers at all. Shouto had heard Izuku's entire life story already, even explaining his hopes and dreams and how being quirkless put a dent while striving to become a hero.

A few seconds had passed. Izuku patiently waited in his seat.

"Have you heard of… quirk marriages?"

-  
Shouto finished his story, too wrapped up in his past to realize that Izuku's face had turned dangerously dark. Looking up, he almost jumped in his seat. Izuku tapped his pen against the notebook, a leg thumping up and down in his seat.

"Um-"

"You know, I've always thought he was a pretty harsh person but to think that happened to you and your family?" Izuku got out of his seat, putting his notebook and his pen onto the table. He turned around to look at the poster of All Might on the wall.

Shouto awkwardly sat in his seat, alarmed when he heard a sniff. Izuku put an arm up and wiped at what Shouto could only guess were tears. Wait, tears?

"How awful, you were so young. Todoroki," Izuku turned to face him, his eyes brimming with tears that cascaded down his face ever so quietly. Before Shouto could say anything, Izuku moved quickly over to him and wrapped his arms around him.

The embrace was tight, awkward since Shouto was sitting, but most importantly the hug was warm. It wasn't fiery warm, it was something else. Something comforting, like a warm blanket wrapped around him. He didn't know if it was his own arms that returned the embrace, wrapping around the other man who openly cried for him.

"I'm sorry that happened to you, I'm so sorry. You didn't deserve any of that." Izuku let go of the other, Shouto almost leaning in to try and keep the embrace going for a little bit longer.

"Shoot, I'm sorry for that too. Shouldn't be hugging my clients without permission right? But," Izuku wiped his face one more, using the hand to run through his hair. "I felt like you needed that."

Todoroki blinked. He didn't realize it but he _did_ needed that. When was the last time he was hugged? Maybe during the Sports Festival by All Might. No, but when was the last time that he was embraced like that? The last time was probably when he was very young, holding onto his mother.

"I did." Shouto softly replied, looking Izuku would reassuring eyes. Izuku returned the eyes with grateful ones of his own, accompanied by a smile.

"I'm glad." Before Shouto could say something after, a knock on the door took them both out of their trance.

Izuku apologized to Shouto and got up, opening the door to talk to his mother. His next client was waiting in the lobby and they had gone a bit past their appointment time. Izuku nodded, closing the door softly and went back to his seat.

"What I hate about this job is that time is my worst enemy. But if you'd like-"

"Can I see you again next week?" Shouto quickly asked, standing up from his seat. His heart raced once more, though for a different reason. Izuku's stunned face broke out into a smile.

"Of course! I'll walk you out, you can talk to the receptionist about appointments and time but listen, Todoroki let me say one last thing." Izuku stood up, his fists to his chest.

"It's _your_ power."

Shouto's eyes widened. Where had he heard that before? Flashes of his mother came to his mind, an interview of All Might played on the screen. He wasn't tied down by blood, his quirk was his own. When did he forget that? He could only nod to Izuku, wondering if the movement was enough to share the waves of emotions that came crashing back into his heart.

Izuku walked him out and got him an appointment for the same time next week. Something in Shouto's heart ached that it would be a whole other week before he could come back to the office. He wanted to see the man sooner, but he was a man of patience.

Shouto headed out the office and back into the streets. The sky grew darker as the sun begun to set. The wind blew behind him, giving him shivers down his spine. He put his hands to his face to blow breath when he stared at his left hand. A few seconds past before he used his fire quirk to start a small flame in his palm. He felt it close to his face, and then his chest.

Fire had always felt painful, his entire childhood had been avoiding fire and then repressing it. The fire in his palm right then and there was nothing like the ones his father had made. This small flame was small, warm and light. It glowed near his chest, illuminating his body as the wind picked up.

It reminded him of the embrace.

The warm embrace that gave Shouto comfort. Where was that comfort when he needed it the most? The flame in his hand gave him a small idea. Throughout his life he had repressed and deterred and renounced, again and again, his birthright. The small flame in his hands wasn't the fire of his father's – it was his. Izuku Midoriya had sparked him.

He let the fire burn out. Shouto stared at his palm, furrowing his brow. He would have to think more about it, it would take a while for him to come to terms with his father and himself but there was something he knew at that moment.

Shouto couldn't wait to see Izuku Midoriya again.


	2. Session 2

The week had gone by almost too slowly. Throughout the days, the only thing on Shouto's mind was his next session with Izuku Midoriya. He occupied his time with patrolling and helping other hero firms with some of their cases. He even messaged a few of the other students who he knew to have gone to Izuku Midoriya's office before.

" _Oh yeah! I love him! He helped me figure out some of the next steps I needed to take to become a real good pro hero! He totally got me to take one of Gunhead's training lessons to help me work on hand-to-hand combat! If I didn't take his advice I don't think I'd be able to be where I am now!"_ Uraraka's explanation checked out. Knowing Uravity now, Shouto was surprised to know that her martial art skills was because of Izuku.

" _Oh so you did go to see Mr. Midoriya? Honestly, I'm really happy to hear that. He realized that my confidence and quick-thinking needed some help. He was very encouraging and knew exactly what he was talking about."_ Shouto had noticed Yaoyorozu's confidence change in the second year after graduation. She had become one of Uwabami's sidekicks but quickly worked up to becoming a pro hero later that year. It must've been the advice.

" _Oh hey Todoroki! Yeah I totally went to his office probably… a few months back! I got recommended to him by Bakugou, apparently the two of them go way back! Uh huh. Oh yeah bro, he really helped me out with my quirk! I've always thought it wasn't flashy or anything like that, but he told me that there were other ways for me to get noticed and also how to work on my quirk!"_ Even Kirishima had gotten guidance that helped him become the pro hero he is now. Wait, Bakugou recommended him?

Shouto stood around in the lobby, staring at the autographs on the wall. He stared long and hard at the signature that was next to Red Riot's. The lasts letter was definitely an "O" so okay, this was in English. The first letter looked like scribbles, like a preschooler trying to draw a tree. Maybe it was an "E?"

"Oh, Todoroki!" Izuku walked out of his office, the family that he was there before had moved to make their next appointment and left. Izuku waved to the child before walking over to where Todoroki was standing.

"Which one are you looking at?" Izuku asked, looked at all the different signatures with a prideful smile. Shouto pointed at the chicken scratch, causing Izuku to burst into laughter.

"Oh man, yeah that's Kacchan's autograph- I mean uh, you know Explodo?" Todoroki's eyes went wide open. _That_ signature was Katsuki Bakugou's? It was horrendous. Well, thinking about it, the handwriting fit his personality.

"We were in U.A together." Shouto answered softly.

"Oh! That's right! You know come to think of it…" Izuku rubbed his chin and glanced over at the signatures. "A lot of these heroes were your classmates huh?" The man's eyes sparkled, the idea of heroes being school mates seemed to be extremely interesting to him. Shouto nodded his head.

"Do you know Bakugou?" He turned his head, looking at the man. Izuku made a nervous chuckle, running a hand through his hair.

"Yeah actually, we were childhood friends. Grew up in the same neighborhood and attended school together until he went to U.A! Not going to lie he was a pretty mean kid." Shouto rolled his eyes. He knew that from his time in U.A.

"I saw him sometimes when he went home and well, he was always someone who was really proud of his quirk and I admired his strength. Once I saw him come back from home kind of crying? I think it was during your guy's first year." Izuku looked back at the signature, regarding it fondly. "That was strange to see, but I guess he was overwhelmed that he couldn't call himself the best when all of you were working their hardest with such amazing quirks. We started talking again which ended up in explosions to the face but, I think that's when he started mellowing out."

Shouto's eyebrows furrowed. Was all of Bakugou's development back in U.A because of Izuku Midoriya? Just for how long has he influenced and motivated his classmates? There was still a cloud of mystery that hung over Izuku Midoriya, despite the man being an open book about his life. It made Shouto curious, leaving him wanting to know more.

"And when did you meet All Might?" He pointed up at the double-paged autograph. Looking over, Shouto noticed that Izuku's mouth began to quiver.

"Well, the year before that U.A entrance exam, he kind of saved me from a villain. Signed my notebook while I was out cold!" He laughed, turning away from it. Shouto could see there was something more to the story. He didn't want to pry but… he actually did want to know more.

"That's not all is it?" Izuku turned to smile at him.

"Wow, you're perceptive. Maybe I'm just really obvious." The counselor laughed before turning around, motioning Shouto into his office. He followed Izuku, frowning softly.

"I can't say much about it, but um, that was the day he told me that I should've been realistic about my dreams." His voice was soft, a hint of sadness dipped into his words. Izuku took a seat on one of the bean bag chairs, sighing loudly as he let himself be pulled down. Shouto raised an eyebrow as he took a seat on the sofa. All Might had told this man that he couldn't be a hero. It was ironic, knowing that the man you looked up to your entire life convinced you to give up your dream. It almost made Shouto feel upset but if he was in the position well… How can someone without a quirk become a pro hero?

"Don't get me wrong, I still love him, he's the symbol of peace who always helps people with a smile!" A fist went into the air, Izuku's face held a wavering smile. "I don't blame him really, I was a naïve kid at the time when I should've been more realistic. I'm actually glad I heard it from him you know? If he never told me that, I'd never know how long I would've tried to be a hero and waste so much time." He sighed once more before getting off from the bean bag chair.

"Okay okay, enough talking about me," Shouto would've interrupted, saying that it was alright and he liked hearing, but said nothing. "Let's talk about you. Today we're going to be discussing goals, both long-terms and short-terms."

Shouto nodded his head and watched Izuku take his clipboard, pulling his office chair over in front of the desk near the sofa. He sat down and clicked his pen, writing a few things in his notebook before looking up at Shouto.

"Let me ask the question, what is your goal?"

The question was sure to come, Shouto has heard it a dozen times so he answered rather quickly.

"To be the No. 1 Hero." The sound of writing was heard in between the pause.

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Shouto remained silent. His original plan was to use only his ice quirk to defeat villains and rescue civilians, gaining credibility to rise up the ranks. That definitely wasn't happening.

Izuku noticed the pause and thoughtfulness in Shouto's face, speaking up. "You have an amazing quirk, even if you haven't used your fire side you're really powerful and already have recognition by being Endeavor's son. So why aren't you already up the ranks?"

Shouto shifted awkwardly in his seat. He didn't know. Wasn't that the reason why he was here in the first place? To figure out why he wasn't a popular pro hero?

"Let's go ahead and learn from that goal. What does it mean to be a hero? To you at least?" Now that was a question he had always been asking himself. Ever since he was a child, it was a question that was asked to anyone who was looking to become a hero. It was the very essence of the profession, so what did it mean to him?

"A hero is someone who rescues people from harm." Shouto felt his face going red, feeling embarrassed about his basic answer. Izuku didn't seem to show any sign of mockery, only nodding and writing down notes.

"Alright, so you want to become a hero that can rescue people from harm. Is that right?" Shouto nodded gently, feeling weird to have all his thoughts out in the open. For some reason it sounded incomplete.

Izuku leaned back in his seat, clicking his pen and began tapping it against the notebook. The silence only amplified the noise, prompting Shouto to speak.

"I want to be a hero that can save people from being hurt." It sounded like a repetition, but Izuku heard differently. He looked up to watch Shouto's gaze fall towards the ground, a hand gripping at his pants. Izuku placed his pen down and leaned over towards the hero.

"Like your mother? Or yourself?" Shouto's head snapped up, his eyes meeting Izuku's bright green. His heart began beating fast once again, the same kind of sensation he felt the last session had come back. Shouto could only nod his head as Izuku leaned back.

"Right. Also, if anything I say starts to make you uncomfortable you just let me know, okay? You're not obliged to tell me anything you don't want and the last thing I want you to think is me trying to force something out of you." Izuku gave an apologetic smile, Shouto replying with a shake of his head.

"No, it's fine. I signed up for this and you asking me those questions means you're doing your job." _Maybe too well._ Shouto thought, returning the man's smile with his own, very small one.

Izuku nodded, taking his pen and writing notes down again. He tapped it against the page and stretched out his arms, pulling them above his head. "Well, now that we have your main goal, I think we can start talking about smaller goals, the ones you can achieve in a week or so." He moved back to cross a leg under the other, getting his pen ready. "Baby step goals is what we like to call them! So, let's think right now. In order to achieve your main goal, you're going to have to take steps. How does a hero become popular?"

Shouto took a second to think. "By saving numerous amounts of people at a time and exemplifying their power." Izuku wrote that down.

"So kids look up to heroes, most children anyways, but what aspects of heroes do they like best? Some research shows that it's their costumes. Bright colors and extravagant props usually help heroes' popularities with youth. As for your costume, um…" Izuku took out his phone and typed in a few things, turning it to show Shouto.

A picture of himself in his hero costume was on the screen. His left side of the body was frozen over in ice, a red glass piece covered his eye. The other half of his body was donned in a white uniform, the only color was from his beige belt and shoulder straps. Shouto's hero outfit didn't really change much since U.A – there really wasn't a need to, at least that's what he thought.

"I'm not going to lie, Todoroki, but this outfit doesn't scream hero that much to children. To children! I mean, I think it's cool but it could, um, use some work." Izuku put his phone on his desk, giving the man an apologetic smile.

"I thought that maybe children would fear my scar, so I hid it with ice. Also it regulates my left side since I don't use my fire." Shouto explained gently, feeling slightly put off that his hero costume was getting criticized.

Izuku nodded, though his eyebrows were furrowed. "We didn't really get a chance to talk about it last week, but about your right side," Izuku's eyes gleamed with something, perhaps, determination.

"I don't think it's right for you to say you want to be No. 1 without using your quirk to its full potential."

Shouto stared at the counselor, completely dumbfounded. His heart began to race once again, thumping in his chest, threatening to burst.

"It sounds harsh, but I've met many other heroes who has the same goals as you. They've worked tirelessly, cultivating their powers and pushing past their limits. You've told me about your life, so I know why you don't use your fire side, but it's your own quirk, not his!" Izuku's voice raised and Shouto's mind began to race.

Memories flashed before him. A young, Shouto Todoroki sitting on his mother's lap as they watched an All Might interview. He had talked about quirks being passed down, but it was their decision on what they did with it. His mother had told him the same thing so when did he forget that?

All this time, Shouto had buried those memories, letting the guilt seep into his wounds and left him forgetting who he was. He wasn't a prisoner by his blood, he should've been able to look past this if he only remembered those words.

His heart felt heavy, his left side began to twitch. Why didn't he realize this sooner? How much bitterness did he harbor to allow him to forget his mother? The truth was he was scared. He strayed from visiting his mother, knowing that was the reason for her mental break. Shouto's left side was a reminder to her, so he avoided her after the incident. Was that the right thing to do?

All these years Shouto had hid from her but really he should've been saving her!

Guilt began to store inside his stomach, Shouto grasping at his shirt. His eyes began to sting, not knowing if it was because of tears or the heat and cold emitting from his body. He abandoned his mother-he had no right to call himself a hero. He was useless. It was shameful. How could he be a hero when he was just a-

"Todoroki."

Shouto's head whipped up to see Izuku's concerned, yet stern face.

"I'm sorry if I said things out of bound, I never meant to cause you any grief." He kept his gaze locked on Shouto's, causing him to look away. He quickly wiped his eyes with a sleeve.

"No, you've done nothing but help me. You're only making me reflect on my past actions. It's something I haven't really had the chance to sit down and think about." Shouto looked at his hands, both his left and right. They were both shaking, but the pain in his chest had stopped. His guilt had washed over, though it would be back until he came to peace with both his mother and himself.

Shouto took a deep inhale, using the motion to calm himself before exhaling. "Midoriya," He begun, straightening up to look at the counselor. "Thank you so much. I'm starting to see where I've lost my path. I still don't know where to go from here but if you'd let me," He bowed his head down, hands on his knees.

"Please allow me to keep seeing you."

Izuku's face went red. Never had someone bowed to him like the hero before him. He had seen heroes who sent him different displays of gratitude but watching Shouto bow, his face started turning red.

"P-Please you don't have to do that! It's my job to be here for you, as a counselor I need to be able to help you find your way but I guess even if it wasn't my job I'd still try to do that, oh gosh I hope I'm not sounding weird but um, yes, of course you can keep seeing me!" Izuku's stuttered mess accompanied his nearly beet red cheeks, leaving him to feel a bit embarrassed. They locked eyes and Shouto himself couldn't help but feel his own cheeks grow red.

"Thank you."

-  
Izuku had walked Shouto out of the office and got him to schedule another appointment with his mother.

"Alright dear, same time okay?" Inko Midoriya clicked around for different tabs and smiled up at the hero. He nodded and gave a quick thank you before turning back to Izuku.

"I wanted to tell you, I feel very relaxed when I'm here, and I'm looking forward to-" Before Shouto could finish his sentence, a loud yell came from across the room.

"DEKU!"

Both men turned their heads to see Katsuki Bakugou, stomping towards the two of them in civilian clothing. He grabbed a hold of Izuku's tie, yanking him over.

Shouto's eyes widen, his right hand readying an ice attack until he saw that Izuku was laughing. KAtsuki pulled him in to rub a fist against his head, ruining his hair.

"Fucking idiot, thinking you can make us wait?" Katsuki hissed and let him go. Izuku only pouted before placing a hand on his head after that noogie. Shouto blinked. Was that a friendly gesture? It left him absolutely puzzled.

Izuku, or uh, Deku, had stepped back to fix his hair and checked his wristwatch.

"Kacchan you're five minutes early." Izuku raised an eyebrow before Eijirou Kirishima walked over, placing a hand on Katsuki's shoulder.

"Hey, don't mind him, he wanted to come in a bit earlier to get a jump. We're also letting you know we won't be here for next week's sesh, we got a job over in Tokyo!" The red-haired hero beamed brightly before noticing Shouto who was standing, rather awkwardly.

"Ay, Todoroki! So you did actually come here huh? Good for you!" Eijirou flashed a sharp-toothed grin, holding up a thumbs-up sign. Shouto only acknowledged him with a nod, not really sure what to do with this reunion.

Katsuki only scoffed. "This idiot wanted to get your opinion on some of our new formations and strategies before we head to Tokyo next week. That's why we're here early." He took a look at Shouto, sending him a glare before pushing past him towards the receptionist desk. Shouto was too stunned to bother about the rude gesture, but listened to Katsuki talk to Izuku's mother. Did he just call her Auntie?

"Oh Todoroki!" Shouto snapped out of his eavesdropping state to turn towards Izuku, his hair stilled messed up from Katsuki's greeting.

"Well um, since my usual clients after you won't be here next week, I have time open. Maybe after our session next week we can go down to the streets to this little café across the block? Only if you have time, of course." Izuku's lips quivered into a smile, Shouto too taken aback by the look on his face and the original proposal.

"Oh I guess you're really busy then, I mean I get that since you're a pro hero after all. You know even an hour out of someone's day is a lot so I completely understand if you-"

"I'd love to."

"Huh?"

Shouto's lips curved upwards into a soft smile.

"I'd love to." He repeated, Izuku's face lighting up at the sight. The warmness came into Shouto's heart once again, though this time there was no embrace or fire to ignite the feeling. He didn't understand why his chest felt the way that it did, but he knew that he couldn't wait for next week's session.

Izuku Midoriya had made Shouto Todoroki smile; his first genuine smile in over several years.


	3. Session 3 & Date 1

"Well Todoroki, if I'm being perfectly honest, I think Freeze is a pretty nice name, or something like Mr. Freeze or Freezey, well at least that's what I think kids would like." Izuku could only lean back in his chair, the cushion moving backwards with him. Shouto could only pout, unsure on how to take this information.

"A classmate of mine had suggested it, I was a fool for thinking that I could live the rest of my hero career with that title following me." He remembered exactly who offered the name in the first place. In retrospect, he should've known not to take anything that person suggested.

" _With all of you as third years now, it's essential that a codename is created. Only a few of you have yet to taken upon a hero name, and this would be the time I need you all to submit something." Aizawa moved back into his yellow sleeping bag, leaning against the blackboard. "Midnight won't be here to judge your names, I don't care what they are just give me something to turn in. You know who you are."_

 _Katsuki Bakugou had begun growling, hands balling into fists as he banged them against the desk. "I keep trying to give you my hero name but these idiots keep laughing at me! What? Think you're better than me or something?!" He turned towards his classmates, sending glares to every one of them. Shouto couldn't care less about Katsuki's name, which was evident in his vacant stare._

" _Your name's too long! And totally not kid friendly!" Denki pointed out, shrugging his shoulders._

" _Exploding King of Murders still won't cut it, honestly just think of something better." Kyouka absently twirled her ear jack, not even bothering to look at her classmates._

" _What did you say, punk bastard? I'll blow you through the CEILING!" Everyone had gotten used to Bakugou's threats, knowing that he never meant any of them and his childishness was only an act to protect himself. He had gotten better over the years, but Katsuki Bakugou wouldn't be him without threats._

" _Listen, bro," Eijirou Kirishima spoke up. "Just shorten it! Be like, Explody, or Explodo!" He made a movement to punch the air, making a boom noise. Katsuki only grumbled, looking up at Aizawa._

" _Fine, I'm Explodo, got that?" Katsuki calmed down, leaning back to cross his arms. Shouto kept his gaze at the wall, unsure of what to do about his own name. Who else needed to submit a name? He couldn't recall very well but he was sure there was another after Bakugou._

 _Aizawa moved from his position, slumping down to the ground to have a proper resting position. "Fine. Iida, Todoroki, you two are left."_

 _Chatter begun amongst the students, Ochako began patting at Iida's shoulders. There was talk about whether or not it was alright for Iida to take up his brother's hero name, though he still seemed reluctant to. A few motivation words and Iida had agreed to take upon the torch that had been passed to him. Great, now that just left…_

" _So, Todoroki what's it going to be?" Shouto didn't hear who said that, but when he looked up all eyes were on him. He could feel the discomfort rising in him, to the point of wanting to step out of the classroom. He didn't know what to call himself, not even an ounce of consideration had been put to this choice._

 _The class could only watch as Todoroki moved his gaze from his classmates to his desk. He frowned deeply, unsure on what to say._

" _I don't know." That would suffice. Or at least that's what he thought. The class erupted into a waterfall of ideas, names pouring out from everyone's mouths all at the same time. It took Shouto by surprise, hearing the possible names that he could be called eventually._

" _Maybe Fire-Ice Man!" Mina shouted out._

" _No way, that's too close to Ojiro and Satou's hero names, it's too basic." Kyouka replied._

" _Wait – what is that supposed to mean?" Ojiro huffed._

" _Todoroki, perhaps a name linked to your powers like Elemental?" Momo had suggested. Everyone seemed to think that the suggestion was very much like her._

" _Yeah but Todoroki doesn't even use his fire side, so let's just call him like, Icey, or Freeze!" Denki laughed but Shouto quickly took ahold of the name._

" _Freeze is fine. Let's go with that."_

 _The class stared at the top student, appalled that he had took a name from someone like Denki Kaminari. Even the person who had suggested the name seemed to be in some sort of shock._

" _Um, dude you don't have to, we're just all tossing out ideas here-" Denki began rubbing the top of his head, a confused smile appearing on his face. Shouto shook his head in reply._

" _Freeze is fine. Aizawa, that's my hero name." The student looked up to see the teacher's face (his body stuffed into the sleeping bag) with a very stoic and nearly bored look._

" _Finally. Now we can begin class."_

Shouto grimaced at the memory, too caught up with how the scene played out to notice that Izuku had been waving his hand in front of him.

"Um, Todoroki! Todoroki where'd you go?" The man quickly shook himself out of his trance, apologizing to the therapist. Izuku took a breath of relief, offering a smile to the hero. "Was scared that you were going to get lost in your own world! Thanks for coming back to Earth!" He laughed, getting out of his chair to place his notebook and pen back onto his desk.

Izuku walked over to the right side of the sofa to pull out two of the bean bag chairs.

"Wanna sit?" The therapist pulled the green beanbag chair over to the center of the room, dragging the blue one afterwards. He plopped down into the green one, sinking into the cushion as Shouto watched curiously. The man slowly got up from the sofa, looking down at the blue bean bag chair before maneuvering himself down.

Shouto nearly fell into the blue bean bag and tried to keep his posture straight, but found himself sinking into the childish furniture. It wasn't uncomfortable at all, but he did feel… awkward. He tried to straighten himself, placing his hands folded neatly in his lap but with his back sinking, he looked incredibly silly.

A snort was heard, and then laughter. Izuku felt his hands over his mouth as he tried to silence himself from laughing any harder. He couldn't help himself, erupting into the kind of laughter that evoked tears. Shouto couldn't help but be fascinated with the sounds and sight. He noticed the laugh lines in Izuku's cheeks, and then the dimples that had camouflaged between the collections of freckles. Shouto couldn't help but stare, feeling his lips curve up slowly at the view. There was something about what Shouto saw that was just breathtaking.

"Okay, okay, I-I'm done!" Izuku wiped his face and began to shake from all the laughter. "Okay now I'm done, okay gotta be professional." He took a deep breath and made a slow hand motion, his hands fanning himself gently.

"So," Izuku cleared his throat, sitting up in his bean bag chair to make eye contact with Shouto. "I know earlier in the session we discussed your use of your fire side. I think the best course of action right now, and I think you might've picked up on it, is to face the guilt you're feeling." Izuku's face softened with sympathy and understanding. Shouto could only nod.

Izuku leaned over, keeping their gaze locked. The determined look appeared on the therpaist's face once again, the kind of face that had Shouto's heart jumping in an instant.

"This is only a suggestion, Todoroki, but I think the best thing for you to do is to go see your mother."

A pain of guilt jolted through Shouto's body, a hand moving up to clutch at his chest. How could he see her now? After all those years. It's been nearly two decades since the incident that left Shouto with half a scarred face. He didn't want to admit it, but it seemed like it was too late to make amends. It was too late to save her-

"It's not too late." Shouto's head whipped up. It was almost like Izuku read his mind and acknowledged what he was feeling. Perhaps that was the therapist's hidden quirk. Again and again, Shouto couldn't help but think the man had some sort of quirk, or power; the kind that worked perfectly when it came to helping others and breaking down their walls.

"It's been… far too long." Shouto couldn't reveal the exact amount of years but he was certain Izuku already did his math. "How could I face her now? Maybe if I was still in high school, seeing her would've been easier but now?" He looked down at his hands, noticing they were shaking. He swallowed hard.

Izuku only returned a sad smile, reaching over to place a hand on Shouto's arm.

"I know you're scared, but I want you to consider the worst case scenario here. What would it be?" There was the therapist talk. Izuku was never one to give out the answers he wanted to hear. He was a professional after all, there was a reason why Izuku Midoriya was named one of the best counselors in the country.

Even so, Shouto felt like a child who didn't want to give out any answers in case they were wrong. Of course Izuku would never mock him for saying what he thought, but the fear was still there and in that moment he held onto his childish mannerism.

"The worst case scenario would be if she attacked me." It was a stretch, now that he's said it out loud it seemed extremely unlikely; however, it was a possibility nonetheless. He could've said 'the worst case scenario would be if she hated me' but it was very likely that she does hate him right now. It wasn't something Shouto wanted to think about.

Izuku only nodded before taking his hand off of Shouto's arm. "And what would the best case scenario be?" He asked, a stern, hopeful look appearing on Izuku's face.

What was the best case scenario? What did Shouto wanted to hear from his mother?

"I want…I want her to tell me it's okay to use my powers, that it's mine. I want to apologize to her, and I would like her to accept my apologies. The best case scenarios is," Shouto took a shaky breath. "me saving her."

A smile broke onto Izuku's face. Shouto felt the nervousness calm down, something else had slowly replaced it. It felt like a drive. Motivation. Determination.

"You've got a new look on your face, did you know that?" Izuku beamed, leaving Shouto flushing.

"No, is it a good look?" He asked, returning a small smirk. Another bright smile and a nod was Shouto's reply. In return, his heart began to beat fast, something within his stomach fluttered. What was it about Izuku Midoriya that made him feel this way?

It had only been three weeks since Shouto first came to Izuku Midoriya's office, but already has his life changed for the better, at least that's what he believed. If Izuku was by his side, Shouto felt like he could do anything. Truly, that's how he felt.

"Could you… maybe come with me to see my mother?" Shouto was close to hiding his gaze, but mustered the courage to look Izuku in the eyes when he asked that. The therapist only gave a surprised look before smiling in return.

"Of course, if you'd like, our next session could actually be at the hospital, or if you'd like to choose another day for it, I can let you know how my schedule is." Izuku explained, heaving himself off the bean bag chair. He offered a hand to Shouto who had slumped into the cushion. With his heart that screamed for him, Shouto took the man's hand and hoisted himself up.

"If Kacchan and Kirishima are still in Tokyo, I'll have this time slot open for us to go to the hospital, but again it depends on whether or not they come, er, I guess it depends on which hospital too." Izuku chuckled, running a hand through his hair.

Shouto nodded slowly, thinking about the perfect time to go see his mother. He could actually go any time this week, but he wanted Izuku to be there with him.

"I think next week would be perfect, the hospital is just a train station away so it's not too far. Even if Bakugou and Kirishima come back from Tokyo, I think there would be time." Shouto explained, moving the bean bag chair back to its original position.

"Great! Did you want to meet here and then go together or meet at the hospital?" Izuku asked.

"Meeting here is fine, since I can show you how to get to the hospital from here." The therapist seemed to like that answer, nodding his head.

"Sounds great! Anyways, ready to go to the café I've been telling you about?" Izuku grinned.

Shouto had never nodded his head as quickly as he did in that moment.

-  
The café was small, but there was an added charm to the local establishment. The outside tables were empty, seeing as the cold wind had picked up, blowing against the black, metal chairs. Inside; however, was warm and filled with customers. It seemed to be the perfect time to grab a cup of coffee or settle down for a quick pastry.

The coffee beans mixed with sweets created an aroma that Shouto could describe as French. The interior design of the café seemed to replicate European style. Brick dividers held plants on top of them, vines hanging down to create a background that seemed like customers were sitting out doors.

All in all, the place felt comforting.

"Let's sit here, Todoroki!" Izuku pointed to a two seater table that was next to the glass wall that looked out into the streets. Shouto followed him, taking a seat. Izuku had put on an All Might jacket over his dress shirt, making quite a dissonance in style. On top of that, Shouto noticed that Izuku's tie was very off. Not even tied properly. Interesting.

Izuku handed Shouto a menu, pointing at some of the items. "I always get the same thing here, I grab a chai latte and a glazed doughnut. Sometimes two if I'm feeling hungry…" Izuku flushed a bit, rubbing his cheek as moved his finger down the menu for Shouto to see. "So they have really good scones, it's probably what they're known for here, and all of their lattes are awesome!"

Shouto nodded, looking down the list of beverages. He was quite interested in the powdered scones, noting to order one of those. As for his drink, he'd much prefer something akin to tea versus coffee. Would it be rude to not take up Izuku's recommendation on the lattes though? He wasn't sure. Shouto had never been on a… an outing like this before.

The waitress had come over, striking a conversation with Izuku who was of course, a regular at the café. He in returned, introduced Shouto to her who greeted him politely. Shouto noticed that Izuku didn't mention his hero name or line of work at all, instead his choice of words were very appealing.

" _This is my friend, Shouto!"_

The hero's heart continued to beat faster. His _first_ name had been used. If his face wasn't the same shade as his red hair, it was surely coming closer to that hue.

After the two ordered, Izuku seemed to notice the look on Shouto's face and sent an apology straight away.

"I'm sorry Todoroki! I didn't want to mention your last name since it's kind of well-known. Now that you're not already well-known but, I just thought it might be stressful if people started recognizing you right now and stuff." Izuku clasped his hands together, forming an apologetic gesture.

"No, you're fine. You were thinking of me even now despite not being your client at the moment. I appreciate that. And um," A blush spread across his face. "Shouto's fine." Izuku's face seemed to light up at that.

"Really? Then call me Izuku okay?" Shouto looked away, eyeing the passersby on the street through the glass.

"Okay… Izuku." The name was almost forced out, but once it did, a giddy feeling bubbled inside of Shouto. His hand was placed over his mouth, his elbow propped on the table, but only he would know how big of a smile he was hiding underneath his palm.

A few seconds had passed, the silence was not cold, in fact, it was warm. Izuku had checked his phone for emails and messages when a different waitress had struggled with her tray of orders, causing her to nearly tip over after walking too fast. Shouto didn't realize it, but Izuku had nearly jumped out of his seat at the speed of light to go and assist the woman. He helped her balance the tray and took a few off of it, offering to help take them to the correct tables. While she thanked him, Shouto couldn't help but understand who Izuku Midoriya was.

He was a hero.

His heart and mind was set on helping others, and it wasn't for the fame or power. Izuku was intent on helping people for the sole reason of helping. It was admirable to watch, something that sparked a match inside Shouto's heart. His mind began to race, wondering where Izuku would be now if he did have a quirk? Surely his mindset would've stayed the same, so it would've been possible Izuku could've became the greatest hero with his heart of gold. Though he was doing his part by being a therapist, Shouto couldn't help but think that life was truly cruel for cursing Izuku.

Once the food arrived, Shouto didn't realize how hungry he actually was. His stomach seemed to call out, creating an audible groan. Izuku had laughed, nearly spitting out his chai latte while Shouto shot him a glare. It had no effect, as Izuku continued to chuckle and sip at his beverage.

Shouto had settled with a royal English breakfast tea latte and powdered milk scones.

"You know what? Your order is pretty much you." Izuku mentioned before taking a bite of his doughnut. Shouto raised an eyebrow at him.

"How so?"

"Well, I don't know! You seem to have such an elegant flair to you, so English breakfast and scones just seem to scream you!" He laughed, placing his latte down. Shouto looked down at his plate, and then to Izuku's.

"I think I know what you're talking about. Your food has your personality too." He pointed out.

"W-What? Really?" Izuku looked down at his two doughnuts and latte.

"Yes, though I don't know how I can describe it. I suppose they're both as sweet as you." Wait – _WHAT?_ Shouto didn't mean to say that out loud, realizing his choice of words could mean something entirely different than what he intended. (But what was he really intending?)

Izuku seemed to have taken it as a compliment, his cheeks turning slightly pink. Shouto didn't notice one bit since his head was lowered, taking large bites of his scone to cover his small confession.

"You think so? That means a lot to me, thanks Shouto." The hero looked up at the therapist, whose face was soft once again, adorned with a brilliant smile that seemed to light up the darkest of nights. He took a second to realize that he felt something that was unfamiliar. Shouto couldn't identify what was stirring inside him, but if anyone could help him out, it would be Izuku.

"Midori- I mean, Izuku. I think that you're-" Shouto was interrupted by a THUMP on the glass. A young woman had pressed herself up the glass, waving at the two of them. It was Uraraka Ochako, grinning from ear to ear as she began jumping up and down. Though she was covered with a large scarf and beanie, the two were able to recognize her just by demeanor alone. The glass was thick, so both Izuku and Shouto watched as she tried to tell them something but was muffled by the barrier. She quickly realized this and walked into the café, towards their table.

"Oh my gosh Izuku! Todoroki! Isn't this cool seeing each other like this?" She stopped in front of their table, her gloved hands to her face.

"U-Uraraka! I haven't seen you in a while! How have you been?" Izuku stood up, giving Ochako the opportunity to hug him tightly.

"I've been doing super! Had the day off so I went around shopping in this district! What a coincidence right?" Ochako turned to Shouto who stood up out of respects. Instead of a hug, she took the man's hands and began jumping up and down.

"Aww Todoroki I haven't seen you since the last time we teamed up for a client! I mean, you texted me about Midoriya's office but I didn't think you actually keep seeing him!" She confessed, though a smile shone. Shouto raised an eyebrow, not really understanding what she meant by that.

Ochako let go of his hands, turning towards Izuku. She gave him another giant, warm hug that would put bears to shame. Shouto took notice of how red Izuku's face turned, feeling his own cheeks warm up, though this time the emotions that followed were different. His eyebrows furrowed.

"D-Did you want to maybe e-eat with us?" Izuku stuttered out. Stuttering? Shouto took note of that. For whatever reason, it made him feel uneasy.

The anti-gravity hero shook her head, sending an apologetic smile to both Izuku and Shouto. "Oh, sorry! I can't! I actually have to get back to my district but we should totally catch up some other time! Do you think you'd have time next week? Maybe we can invite Iida too!" Ochako's suggestion lit Izuku's face, the therapist nodding.

"I'll message you! I'll talk to Iida too, though I know he's a bit busy nowadays with training his sidekicks, I'm sure he can have a day off."

"Awesome! Well I'm going to run now, great to see you both! Totally stellar that we got to run into each other by chance huh?" Ochako turned towards Shouto and began poking at Izuku. "He's great right? Totally amazing! I love this guy!"

 _Love_. She had used the word before when messaging Shouto about her experiences with Izuku. For some off reason, Shouto lost his appetite.

"What a coincidence huh?" Izuku sat down, rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish grin. Shouto followed suit, feeling ice form gently on his right arm. He could only nod, placing his left hand over his right arm.

"Uraraka has really done amazing as a pro hero, I'm really glad to see her working hard and reaching the goals she set out the first time she came to see me." Izuku smiled gently, a blush spreading across his face as he stirred his spoon into his chai latte.

Shouto didn't want to say anything, he just didn't feel like it.

"Did you know? I'm actually really bad with one-on-one conversations with girls." Izuku chuckled a bit, embarrassed. Shouto tilted his head. The question was gnawing in his throat.

"She seems to be really fond of you." Shouto started, though his voice was slightly colder than it normally was when he was with Izuku.

"Haha, yeah! I really like her too, did you know she had a crush on me once?"

Something inside Shouto's chest started hurting and he didn't know why. First he was experiencing all these new, delightful sensations but now? It seemed irritating and painful. Before Shouto could open his mouth to say something, Izuku spoke.

"It was really hard to turn her down at the time, but she actually got over it really quickly! She's a great friend but I wasn't really looking for a relationship at the time. I guess it was better because she was able to find a really nice girl afterwards, actually I think you know her she was in your year too I think? Plus I'm actually, maybe the reason why I'm not good at talking to girls is because I'm not really interesting in woman romantically? Does that make any sense? I guess it doesn't, I don't think I'm explaining myself correctly since I'm feeling all frazzled and stuff right now, uh-" Izuku had fingers to his forehead, muttering to himself mostly before Shouto stopped him.

"You're not interested in girls?" He asked, feeling his heart pumping once again.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, no! I mean, I guess that means I'm gay huh? But actually I've never really dated before so maybe I just don't know what I'm saying-"

"It's fine, I've never had a romantic partner before either." Shouto added, a bit too quickly, into the conversation. Never in his life had he considered sexuality, as his world always revolved around training and becoming a hero. Why was it now that he started thinking about these sorts of things? Could it be that Izuku meant something to him in that way?

Shouto's world began to slowly piece together. His heart racing? It was a symptom of infatuation. The passion Izuku showed was admirable, but it had made Shouto happy by proxy. Was that something that could be a part of what "love" is?

"Wait, you've never dated before?" Izuku asked, tilting his head. "I mean, sorry if it seems like I'm shocked! I just, kind of am? You're uh, really pretty, did you know that?"

Shouto blinked, placing a hand over the left side of his face, almost self-consciously.

"I've always thought that this scar made me ugly." He confessed. Even when he heard people call him pretty in U.A, he couldn't help but feel that they were empty compliments. He's found both his left and right sides to be ugly, considering one side to be a gross depiction of his father while the other side was stolen features from his mother. He was the product of a forced marriage after all, so how could he be pretty?

"You really think that? Because I think you're beautiful." Izuku's face softened, and while his cheeks stayed red, he offered Shouto the kindest of smiles as he place a hand onto the table, offering it to him.

Shouto took a second to realize what the hand was trying to offer, slowly putting his own hand on top. He heard beautiful as more than appearances. His personality was beautiful. When did someone ever consider him with compliments like that? All he ever was told was that he was cold.

He locked eyes with Izuku, feeling his own face heat up red once more. He would never be able to get rid of the feeling in his face, as every time he looked at Izuku it would occur. The thing was, he never wanted to stop looking at him. The heat was nothing like fire, it was a comfort, a blessing even.

The two finished their meals after that, Shouto paying for their orders (dodging Izuku's protests.) They had agreed to meet in the lobby of Izuku's office at the start of Shouto's appointment. From then they will take the train over to the hospital and visit Shouto's mother.

When Izuku said his goodbyes, he held out his hand to wave. Shouto's arm had gone up without thinking, returning the gesture with his own. Though he was still and not frantically waving his arm at the man, he had returned Izuku's smile with one of his own.

Shouto watched Izuku leave to his office, feeling the beating in his heart continue from early on in the day. He didn't know what was coming over him, but deep in his mind and soul, Shouto realized that what he was feeling was something called love. It was nothing he had never experienced prior, so the feeling was absolutely foreign to him. When faced with the unknown, there would be a sense of worry and fear that accompanied it. Even so, something inside Shouto's body had told him to continue on, to pursue the feelings that had sprouted over the past three weeks.

With only three sessions, Shouto's life had made a complete turn. The way he perceived the world around him had changed, and finally he would be able to confront the fears and guilt that had been holding him back for years. All thanks to Izuku Midoriya.

He reminded himself to tell Izuku how he felt today, and to confess something important. Actually, confess two things.

First, Izuku was his hero.

Second, Shouto was in love with his hero.


	4. Session 4

The entire week leading up to the next session had been nerve-wracking. Well, that was an understatement. It was absolutely _terrifying._ Shouto had found himself late at night, writing down what he wanted to say to his mother. Crumpled pieces of paper had filled his small trash bin to the brim. He truly didn't know what he was going to say, despite being advised to work from his emotions. Shouto didn't know _how_ to express himself and it wasn't until he met with Izuku that he began opening himself up little by little. All the discarded words sounded… too planned, too analytically formed. If Izuku wasn't going to be there with him, then well, Shouto would've been an absolute wreck.

Never in his life did Shouto Todoroki consider having some sort of pillar support in the form of another human. Everything in his life revolved around mottos, ideals and motivation. All of those concepts were personal, things that could be pushed and accomplished by one's own being rather than by a team. It wasn't until Shouto sat down and listened to the therapist that he slowly began realizing there was no reason to why he had to isolate himself.

 _People don't understand me._

That wasn't true. It wasn't that his situation was difficult to understand, but he found it too complex to burden with other people. Deep down he also thought people would treat him with pity, finding him weak if he were to share his situation. His classmates would look at him in a whole new light, one that stirred sadness. That wasn't something he wanted at all; however, Shouto realized that he never gave anyone the opportunity to try to understand him. Everyone had their own personal issues, yet Shouto failed to realize in his youth that it was possible that your own situation can lead to understanding others.

Perhaps if he had opened up, there would've been incidents in his past that could have been avoided. Throughout his life, Shouto resented his father and was fueled with vengeance, working to defy him at every move. If he had just took a step back from his own problems and looked around him, could he had saved Iida?

At the time, Shouto was near Hosu when Tenya Iida had confronted the Hero Killer. Everyone in class knew what had happened to his brother during the time, and almost everyone in the class had some sort of idea of what Iida was feeling. If someone you loved was taken down, of course you'd feel upset. Angry. Furious. _Seeking revenge._ Those ideals did not get past Shouto, but the boy at the time chose to ignore it and let his classmate be.

If only he had looked at Iida, just see the hurt and vengence in his eyes, maybe he could've related. Maybe Shouto would've realized that Iida would attempt to take down the Hero Killer himself. And maybe _then_ Shouto could've rescued him before the Hero Killer took his arm.

Shouto could've _saved_ him. So why didn't he? Isn't that what a hero does?

Everything went back to that question: what does it mean to be a hero? Shouto had answered it in Izuku's office, but what did it mean to him back when he was a child? He couldn't recall, nor did he want to remember what went through his mind as a teenager. Anyone would feel embarrassed thinking about how they thought and acted as a youth, but to Shouto it felt shameful.

He was so lost at the time, only fueled by hatred for his father. Looking back, Shouto realized that he missed a good amount of his childhood. He never smiled or interacted with his fellow classmates, and now it was too late. Shouto wished he could say he's grown up since then, but the truth was he didn't actually grow up. It wasn't until he spoke to Izuku that he realized he had stayed the same throughout U.A and even during his active hero duty. He had told himself over and over again, never once finding the statement dull: Izuku Midoriya had changed his life.

Even now, as he walked down the street from the train station he got out of, there seemed to be a noticeable change in his entire demeanor. Shouto became more aware of the environment around him. He saw a high schooler looking a bit lost, his head moving from his phone to the surroundings. If this was the old Shouto, he would not even have noticed the troubled look on the boy's face. The Shouto now, instead of ignoring, went over to ask if he needed directions or some assistance. The boy happened to have been running late to a date and had no idea where the nearest train station was. Shouto had easily given the boy proper directions and let him go on his way. It wasn't until Shouto walked a block before he recalled the smile of relief on the boy's face and the gigantic thank you that he realized what he had done. He _helped_ someone.

The realization of what a hero was suddenly hit him hard, like a truck full of villains slamming against him. Being a hero meant helping people, and helping people meant even the smallest of things. Because of him, the boy was going to make it to his date on time and enjoy whatever the rest of the day would lead to. It made Shouto… happy.

To be a hero also meant making people's days, so when Shouto walked by a flower stand he took a second to think. He could buy some flowers for his mother, she had always loved lilies. It was a small gesture but could it make someone's day. If there was someone who needed to have their day brighten, it would definitely be his mother. He stuck to the hope that his mother would be happy to see him after all these years, and bringing flowers to her would give the impression that he was there for amendments.

Staring at the different flower arrangements, Shouto realized that he could possibly buy some for Izuku as well. The idea had made his face flush red, but why shouldn't he? The therapist had done so much for him already, so bringing him flowers would be a minimal gift in return. Of course, flowers could never repay the gratitude Shouto felt, but if it could make Izuku smile, then it's still all the more worth it.

It was the sunflowers that caught his eyes. The many seeds all centered inside the flower reminded him of Izuku's freckles, and the bright yellow of the petals were reminiscent of how the man seemed to shine brightly. Of course, Shouto would never confess finding the comparison between his therapist and sunflowers, as the conversation would lead to the hero leaving to hide his outrageous blush. Even now, the man's face was red and even redder when the cashier questioned him on what "special occasion" it was.

Shouto had left without a word but the cashier's knowing smile indicated that he was not offended.

With two bouquets in his arms, Shouto headed up the office elevator and walked into the lobby, immediately greeted by Inko Midoriya.

"Oh! Hello Mr. Todoroki!" She called out from behind her receptionist desk. No one else was in the lobby, so Shouto headed over to her.

"Hello, Mrs. Midoriya." He bowed his head lightly, adjusting the flowers in his arms to not crush them. She eyed them before smiling brightly. It was plain to see where Izuku had gotten his warm face from.

"Izuku already informed me that you two will be having a session outside the office. If you'd like, you're free to leave some things with me to make the trip easier!" She offered another kind smile, though it was never as wide as Izuku's. Her smile was different, it was comforting in a way that only a mother could express.

Shouto nodded his head and thanked her before looking at his watch. He was early _as usual._ Inko seemed to have noticed this and stood up.

"Oh, just so you know, Izuku actually went down to get some snacks at the convenience store. He'll come back soon so you can just wait here in the lobby." She seemed a bit nervous about saying all that, but Shouto gave her a smile of gratitude before sitting down on the sofa.

He glanced down at the pile of magazines, debating whether or not to pick one up. There were only a few tabloids on the table while most of the reading material were actually scientific journals and quirk development for young children. Perhaps he could pick one of those up and read about parenthood, or at least how parenthood should be like when it comes to raising their children. To the world around him, it was his life that wasn't "normal," though one could argue there was no such thing as normal.

Before Shouto could pick one of the magazines up, the top scientific journal of quirk development began floating, being pulled into the air. He turned his head to see Inko Midoriya walking over, motioning at the magazine to come closer to her. In Inko's other arm were more magazines. She took the floating magazine out of the air and placed it in the pile before looking at Shouto.

"Oh! I'm sorry, did you want to read that? It's a bit dated so I was going to switch it out but you can read it if you like!" Inko quickly took the magazine and held it out to Shouto. He shook his head, finding the woman's quirk to be much more interesting.

"No thank you. May I ask if your quirk is telekinesis?" He asked, shifting to face her.

"Oh heavens no! I can pull small objects towards me, that's about it. My limit is about maybe a crate of apples!" She laughed before walking towards the table, switching out some of the magazines.

Shouto wanted to press a bit more. If he knew about Inko then maybe he could learn more about Izuku. Even if the therapist had poured out his life story, there were still pieces missing. He just wanted to know more about Izuku.

"Izu- Mr. Midoriya had told me he is quirkless." Shouto added, not really sure what would come from stating that. Inko's face had dropped, causing the hero to quickly stand up for an apology. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't talk about-"

Inko shook her head. "Oh no it's fine. I was just remembering how Izuku was when he was little. He would always try to pull things towards him and, my husband just so you know, his quirk is fire breathing, so Izuku would always try to eat as much spicy food as he can to breathe fire." She laughed at the thought before sitting down on the sofa near Shouto.

"I'm sorry, it's just that I've always felt bad that I couldn't pass on my quirk to him. He desperately wanted a quirk when he was younger so he could be a hero. I feel partly responsible for him not achieving that dream of his…" She sighed softly before turning to Shouto. "Oh dear, I'm sorry I was lamenting to you, I've got such a bad habit of going on and on sometimes." She made a small giggling noise.

Shouto smiled at that. "Izuku's the same way. He really takes after you." He added, causing Inko to flush a bit.

"Y-You think? That boy, er, well I guess he's not a boy anymore but," Inko smiled to herself, holding her hands close to her chest. "I'm happy to see him where he is now. When he gave up his dream of being a hero it was a very dark time for all of us. He wouldn't come out of his room and I was really s-scared." Her lips quivered. "But look at him now, his heart is full of so much kindness, there was no way he could stop wanting to help others. I'm so proud of him, did you know he's helped so many people? I wonder if he knows just how many people he's saved." Inko's eyes began to well up, reminiscing of Izuku's eyes when he first cried for Shouto.

He didn't have any tissues on him, so Shouto placed one of his hands on her's. This woman was remarkable to him, finding her to be extremely charming and exactly how a mother should be.

"I can't speak for everyone, but from the people I know and with my own experiences, your son has helped us." Shouto watched as Inko's face lit up brightly, tears rolling down her cheek. She moved to embrace the hero gently, making sure not to crumple the flower bouquets in his arm.

"You have no idea how much that means to me to hear that, but please tell that to Izuku as well, I'm sure he'd appreciate it a lot more." Inko pulled away, smiling sweetly before wiping away her tears. She got up from the sofa, readjusting her skirt and picking up some of the dated magazines. "I'll be in the backroom to put these away, let me know if you need anything, Mr. Todoroki!"

Shouto nodded his head and watched Inko leave towards behind the receptionist counter to a room. He placed a hand over his heart, feeling the warmth that was slowly fading away. It appeared that great hugs ran in the Midoriya family's lineage.

He sat back in the sofa, holding onto the flowers while he closed his eyes. He took a deep breath, exhaling loudly as he opened his eyes to look at the ceiling. Shouto checked the time again and furrowed his brows. It was exactly 10 AM, which means his appointment would've started now. The convenience store must've been packed, causing Izuku to wait in line to pay for the snacks. He didn't pay it any mind, rather he was appreciative that Izuku had gone out of his way to get them both something for the trip to the hospital.

The hero imagined a panicked Izuku walking through the doors, holding bags of goodies and interesting snacks. Izuku would've went straight to him and apologize profusely for his tardiness. Shouto could only smile at the scenario, finding pride that he knew Izuku well enough to deduce his actions.

Yes, that would be a good way to describe the kind of person Izuku was; he was the kind of person that put other's needs in front of his own. It was admirable, a trait that's widely respected. If someone were to ask Shouto to describe Izuku in three words, it would probably be _kind_ , _selfless_ and _gorgeous._ There were actually many other words Shouto could come up with but those were the first three that came to mind. More words appeared in his mind like _caring_ and _bright._

 _Helpful. Generous. Sensitive. Lovely. ..Late._

Shouto looked at the time again and frowned. It had been twenty minutes since the appointment's original time. Inko had walked out of the room and stayed behind the receptionist desk.

"Is Izuku still not here? It must be pretty bad then, here I'll text him." Inko took her phone from her desk and began typing away. "I'm really sorry for this Mr. Todoroki, he's never late so there's probably a good reason." Shouto only nodded his head. He was beginning to become concerned with the time they have. They didn't know if Explodo and Red Riot would come back from Tokyo for their appointment, but either way Shouto only had a fixed amount of time with Izuku.

Inko tapped a pencil's eraser tip on the desk before mumbling to herself. Shouto watched as she put the phone to her ear in a call. Her worried expression had spread to his own face. Shouto could hear the tiny voice mail message before Inko placed the phone down.

"Ah, I'm sorry Mr. Todoroki if you could wait here for a moment, I think I'll try and go down to see if he's still at the store." She offered a small reassuring smile.

"I can go if you'd like." Shouto offered but was met with a small head shake.

"I appreciate that dear, but it would be rude to as a client to do something like that. Let me go get my purse real quick." Inko went back to the storage room.

A loud THUD caught Shouto's attention towards the lobby's entrance. What he saw made his heart fall to the ground.

Izuku Midoriya stood at the doorway, disheveled. A purple mark began forming around his right eye and his nose was bleeding. On top of that, his hair looked messier than it usually was, like someone had pulled at it in all directions. Skid marks were apparent on Izuku's white-collared shirt and his skin, gravel still being stuck to his face. In his hands were a plastic bag and his tie. He was breathing heavily, eyes wide as they looked around.

"Where's my mom? Is she in the back?" He asked, voice gruff. Shouto could only nod.

"Izuku-" The therapist quickly ran over to Shouto, taking his arm and pulling him towards his office.

"Shh! I don't want my mom to see me like this okay?" Izuku called behind Shouto. "Hey mom! Sorry I'm late, the line was crazy long! Me and Mr. Todoroki are just going to discuss some things in my office before we head out! Sorry again!" Izuku quickly pulled him into the office and shut the door without even hearing his mother's explanation.

Izuku sighed deeply, placing the plastic bag onto the desk and moved to fix his collar.

"I'm so so so _so_ sorry, Shouto. Just give me one moment and we can head out okay?" Izuku moved to behind his desk, reaching into a drawer and getting out a few packets of tissues and bandages. He used the tissues to wipe away the blood, wincing at the touch.

Shouto gripped the flowers in his arms rightly, staring in absolutely shock and bewilderment. "Izuku-"

"I think if we head out in five minutes we can still catch the next train, again I'm so sorry for being late, I swear to you I'm not like this at all!" Izuku forced a laugh as he wiped the dirt off his face. He accidentally touched his black eye and groaned. He shook it off and began placing band aids onto some of the cuts on his arms and fingers.

"Izuku-"

"Just need to put on this tie, alright we should head out now to make it-"

"Izuku-"

"C'mon Shouto," Izuku began heading towards the door, wrapping his tie around the collar of his shirt. "I brought snacks too so we can-"

"IZUKU." Shouto grabbed ahold of the man's wrist, pulling him away from the door gently. Izuku stared at the hand before looking at Shouto. He was about to turn away and pull his hand away when Shouto shoved the bouquet of flowers into his arms.

"I… I got you those." Shouto confessed, placing the other flowers down on the sofa. Izuku blinked at them before looking at the hero.

"For me?"

"Yes." Shouto's face began to flush before taking a deep breath. "What happened?"

Izuku's eyes quickly darted down.

"It was nothing."

Shouto frowned deeply. "Don't tell me that. Don't give me excuses, tell me _what happened?_ "

Izuku looked up at Shouto holding the flowers closer to his face.

"I was at the convenience store buying some snacks. When I was walking back I saw… I saw a couple of people trying to mug someone." Izuku started, swallowing hard. "I couldn't just walk away, so I tried to help them. I ended up getting real beaten up okay? Three against one isn't really a fair match up, especially when I'm-" He choked on his own words. "Especially since I'm quirkless!"

Tears began to flow, Izuku turned away as he held onto the bouquet tightly.

"I couldn't do anything! They ended up mugging us both and the person I was saving, s-she looked at me and I could tell that she was disappointed." Izuku's hand moved up to grip his own hair, his tears rolling down his cheeks like river streams. "I keep trying to help people but I can't! I-I'm nothing but a useless, quirkless, g-good for nothing-" Izuku sobbed, using his arm to hide his face as he continued to cry.

Shouto stared, feeling something break inside of him. His heart raced, his mind began to spin. If there were words he wanted to say, they were stuck in his throat. Shouto was the one that felt helpless in that moment, unsure on what to say or do.

Izuku sniffed, wiping his tears away. "I'm sorry, I've rambling again huh? Let's just go now, we can still make it to the hospital if we head out now." He tried to smile, though it wavered and looked extremely sad.

"No, we don't have to go today." Shouto replied. Izuku hiccupped, his face falling into something close to despair.

"I-I'm sorry this is my fault, I shouldn't have- I mean, if only I didn't…" Izuku dropped the flowers, his hands going up to his head to pull at his hair, body trembling. "Shit I'm sorry I'm so sorry, I couldn't do anything and now I can't help you out, I haven't done anything to help you I-"

Shouto grabbed ahold of Izuku's hands, bringing them down.

"That's not true!" It was loud, probably the loudest Shouto had ever gotten. It wasn't angry, but it was panicked. Shouto's heart continued to race and before Izuku could open his mouth, he tightened his hold on Izuku's hands.

"You've helped so many people, I wouldn't have come here in the first place if I wasn't convinced that you truly did help my classmates!" He gritted his teeth, his own eyes stinging with tears. "You've helped Iida, you've helped Urararka, and Yaoyorozu and Bakugou and Kirishima and me! You've helped me when I didn't think I needed it!" Shouto began to tremble, taking a shaky breath.

"Y-You reached me in a place where I wanted no one to find me, and you showed me that there was more to life than being a prisoner of my blood. You saved me, Izuku, okay? Listen to me, you didn't just help me, you _saved_ me." Shouto moved his hands to hold onto the man's arms.

"Where I am right now, the way I feel, it's all because of you, so listen to me when I tell you that you are _amazing._ You're the best therapist in the entire country because you have a heart of pure gold. Izuku, you are the _real_ hero here, you're… you're-" Shouto's tears finally fell.

"You're my hero!"

There was a silence. Both men were trembling gently, Izuku reaching up to hold the arms that held his. Izuku's eyes were wide, only a single tear falling down his cheek as he stared at Shouto, mouth agape. Shouto swallowed hard, feeling his throat itch. He slowly moved a hand up to Izuku's face, wiping away the tear streaks on the man's cheeks. Shouto cleared his throat, pulling the man in an embrace.

"I guess I shouldn't be hugging my therapist, but it look like you really needed it right now." Shouto whispered, tightening his arms around the man. Izuku slowly returned the embrace, burying his face in the crook of Shouto's shouder.

"I did." Izuku gave a watery chuckle.

"If… If we're still confessing. I also… I also…" Shouto bit his lip, unsure how the phrase should come out. He didn't mean for his own outburst to happen, let along jumping straight into confessing his feelings.

"Hey Shouto?" Izuku called out, pulling away from the embrace.

"Yes?" Shouto held his breath.

"I love you too." Izuku's face broke out into a wide grin. Shouto's heart help, his emotions swirling inside him as he took ahold of Izuku's shoulders, eyes wide and mouth open.

"C-Can I kiss you?" Shouto stuttered as he swallowed hard. Both men's face flushed red, Izuku nodding. As neither of them had been in a relationship before, the two were walking loving one another blindly. Shouto leaned in gently, placing his lips gently on the other's. It was salty at first, from the tear stains, but as Izuku leaned into the kiss, the heat between them grew.

Shouto had only heard descriptions of kisses through movies or books. They had described them like fireworks or a flame. For Shouto it was something entirely new. It felt like mist, droplets of water hitting his face. It tickled, but it was a sensation that he appreciated and enjoyed.

Izuku had pulled away first, his face beet red as he let go of Shouto to pick up the bouquet of sunflowers. He held them close to his face, looking away in embarrassment. Shouto smiled softly, holding the man's shoulders and placing kisses on Izuku's cheek and forehead.

"I'm sorry… I probably look like crap right now." Izuku hid his black eye behind the sunflowers.

"You're beautiful." Shouto replied, placing a soft kiss on the tip of the man's nose. This caused a giggle from Izuku, who only continued to blush furiously.

"O-Oh man, how did I get Shouto Todoroki to even like me?" He laughed softly, turning back to look at him. Shouto only shook his head, taking Izuku's hand and kissed it gently.

"Just be being yourself. How was I so lucky to have my feelings returned?" Shouto moved to embrace Izuku once again, sighing contently as his heart continued to beat in rhythm. As Izuku leaned his head in the crook of Shouto's neck, the taller man couldn't help but place kisses on the top of his head.

"Thank you." Izuku whispered. Shouto only shook his head.

"No, thank _you."_


	5. Date 2 & Reunion 1

The confession was messy – definitely not ideal for Shouto Todoroki who was new to the entire concept of romance. Even if the ordeal resulted in the best possible outcome, Shouto couldn't help but feel guilty it wasn't under better terms. Of course Izuku tried to apologize once more for getting to the session late, but Shouto reassured him to not worry about that. Though Shouto never wanted to see Izuku hurt like that ever again, the events of the day had led them both to confess their feelings.

For the rest of the session the two of them discussed non-hero news. It wasn't really a session at that point, just two people talking about current events and themselves. It was a breather from the usual analytical therapy, and something that made Shouto smile regardless. It felt nice to him to just talk to Izuku like an equal rather than his therapist. The conversation reminded Shouto when the two of them were at the café. Looking back at it… was that maybe their first date?

The session ended with rapid knocking on the door, Inko Midoriya's doing. Her worry for her son was evident in her face when Shouto opened the door for Izuku. The latter, not wanting to show his damaged face, hid behind his desk.

The two of them planned to visit Shouto's mother on the weekend when Izuku didn't have any clients to restrict his time. It was the least he could do, at least that's what he said to Shouto. They would have more time to stay at the hospital and still have their appointment at their usual day and time.

Before Shouto left, Izuku gave him his personal phone number, causing the former to flush. It was like the two of them were back to being high schoolers, exchanging phone numbers with blushing faces and nervous chatter.

It wasn't until the day after that someone had actually sent a text.

Shouto had been filing some paperwork from working with a local hero agency on an assignment when his phone's screen lit up.

 **[TEXT] IZUKU MIDORIYA :** Hey shouto! Its izuku! Just wanted to see how youre doing?

Staring at the message, Shouto really wondered if he was back being a high schooler. It wasn't a formal text at all, and it made Shouto's stomach flutter. He took a moment to think about his response, his thumb hovering over his touch screen.

 **[TEXT] :** Hello Izuku. I'm doing well, just filling out some paper work.

Shouto hit send and stared at his message that sat on the right side of the screen. He noticed the three dots that indicated that the other was typing appear on the left. His heart continued to beat faster.

 **[TEXT] IZUKU MIDORIYA :** oh yeah? what kind of paper work?

 **[TEXT] IZUKU MIDORIYA :** wait dont tell me, its some heroing paper work yeah?

 **[TEXT] IZUKU MIDORIYA :** you teamed up with towa agency today to apprehend some villains! i saw it online!

The man blinked at his phone. First thing he noticed was that Izuku typed fast. Second, the other man behind the screen liked to send bursts of text. Considering Shouto had never casually texted someone, he wasn't used to seeing the informal manner of messaging.

 **[TEXT] :** Yes, you're exactly correct. Of course, I'm not surprise as you're the kind of person to be current and up to date on the latest hero news.

Shouto sent the text, wondering if his formal way of typing would be off setting for the other in some way. It made him slightly anxious, quickly moving his thumbs to send another text.

 **[TEXT] :** And how are you?

He hit send quickly, before Izuku could respond. The paper work he had to fill out was discarded, obviously these messages were far more important. Shouto only watched as the three dots hovered on the left side of his screen.

 **[TEXT] IZUKU MIDORIYA :** im doing great! but actually do you have time for a call? i wanted to talk to you about some things and i think it would be easier to talk than type

 **[TEXT] IZUKU MIDORIYA :** only if youre not busy! and its nothing bad really i mean

 **[TEXT] IZUKU MIDORIYA :** 💦 💦 💦

Shouto didn't understand what the last three emojis meant. It wasn't raining outside was it? He would have to ask about that later, instead he moved out of the message application and went into a phone call. He got up from his chair and took his phone to his bed, propping himself up with large body pillows. It didn't take long for Izuku to answer the phone, as expected.

" _Uh, hey Shouto!"_ Izuku's voice rang through, accompanied by the static of the phone.

"Hello Izuku." Shouto replied, feeling a bit embarrassed that the greeting was so stale. It definitely was like those teenage clichés where talking on the phone with the person you like was difficult.

"So what did-"

" _I guess I should-"_

"Sorry go ahea-"

" _Sorry didn't mean to cut-"_

Shouto had to place his phone down, ready to jump off his bed onto the ground. The first time he talks to Izuku on the phone outside of the office and they've already spoken over each other twice. He covered his face, feeling the embarrassment rise in his stomach as he placed the call on speaker. On the other end he heard Izuku's laughter ring through.

" _Oh my gosh we suck at this huh?"_ More chuckling came through before Izuku cleared his throat. _"Hey Shouto you're still there right?"_

Turning back to his phone, he groaned loudly as a response. "Yes." It was short and quick in case Izuku would say more.

" _Maybe I'll just get right to the point, so about our last session,"_ Shouto listened intently. A lot had happened during that session. There had been a lot of emotions and crying mixed into the hour. He wondered if Izuku was going to suggest that it never happened, to just forget about the entire thing to maintain their professional relationship. Somehow, that didn't sit well with Shouto. He grew nervous from the idea, leaning towards his phone to listen carefully.

" _First, I want to apologize as a professional for being late and also ruining our intended plans. While things happen, I'm still truly sorry."_

Shouto took a sigh of relief. "You're human too, Izuku." He replied, knowing that what happened was not the man's fault at all.

" _You're right, everyone has flaws and makes mistakes, but as a therapist I'm supposed to keep my own issues out of my office, especially when I'm handling clients. Another thing Shouto, since you are still my client,"_ Shouto's held his breath. Maybe this is where Izuku would denounce his confession?

" _I've told you that Uraraka confessed to me right? Well that was after she stopped being my client so it was alright. But you're still my client Shouto, so our relationship can run into some issues if we go through with this,"_ Izuku's voice was serious, professional.

Shouto let out another sigh. "So we shouldn't pursue this relationship? At least not until our professional relationship ends?"

Laughter filled Shouto's room.

" _Shouto, even if we say we're not in a relationship, I don't think our feelings are going to change at all! I'm not saying that we shouldn't be in a relationship, but I think it would be better to be quiet about it until your sessions end. Does that make sense? I mean, even if we say we're not in a relationship, that's not going to stop me from wanting to touch your face and hug you and stuff."_

The hero's face warmed up, a massive blush spreading across his face. It was true, Shouto's feelings wouldn't change, and he would still look at Izuku the same as he always did. Now that he knew that they both shared the same feelings, there wasn't really a point in trying to repress them; it would only make their sessions difficult.

"Yes I understand. I guess waiting wouldn't change the fact that I'd like to kiss you whenever I see you." Shouto flushed while saying that, trying his best to make the other man blush as hard as he made him do earlier.

More laughter came through. _"Oh my gosh."_

It made Shouto smile, relaxing in his sitting position. He heard more throat clearing from the other side.

" _I mean, you're free to retract yourself from the sessions now, but I still feel like we need to work on some things about your professional hero career. I guess we can do it outside of sessions, but um, that might look shady on my part so I hope you don't mind if I don't suggest that."_ Izuku continued on, Shouto nodding his head, understanding fully the responsibilities of the therapist and his name.

"I understand. I'd like to keep attending sessions. If I were to drop now, it would also look like I've given up. I won't share about our relationship, there isn't many people I could share it to begin with." Shouto added.

A sigh of relief came from the other side.

" _Thanks for understanding Shouto. Um, would it be alright if I tell my mom though? Not that she would tell anyone of course but I'd um, I'd like you to meet her! Officially I mean!"_

Shouto blinked. He had met Izuku's mother already, and had talked to her extensively during the last session. Of course, Izuku probably didn't know about that since he was… occupied.

"Would that be okay?" Shouto asked, treading lightly. He knew that Izuku's mother was a kind woman, but knowing his own father, if he were to find out he was in a relationship with someone like Izuku who was a professional quirk counselor _and_ quirkless, it would not have ended well.

" _Yeah! So uh, on Saturday when we're going to meet at the hospital, did you actually want to come over to my house for lunch with my mom first? Then we can both head out to the hospital._ " Shouto's heart leapt. He was being invited to the man's house! Would it really be okay for him to accept? Was this how relationships worked? When Shouto thought about it, he did ask Izuku to meet with _his own_ mother with him first. Even if that was a different situation entirely, Shouto couldn't help but feel he should repay Izuku with this much, even if it made him worry.

"Alright. Should I bring anything?" Shouto asked, dipping into his polite mannerisms. Again, he reminded himself that he was going to meet Izuku's mother, the woman who raised him to be the glorious man he was today. He had to make a good impression, even if she already met him.

" _Oh don't worry about that! Hey Shouto what's your favorite food?"_ Shouto squinted at his phone.

"Why?"

" _I think it's obvious why I'm asking."_ Izuku's voice was laced with playful teasing, causing Shouto to snort.

"Cold soba." Shouto answered, which got an excited reaction from the man on the other side of the call.

" _Really? You know, that's so like you. My favorite food is katsudon just so you know. I don't know why I said that, anyways!"_ Shouto chuckled at that. _"I'll send you my address on Saturday okay? I shouldn't keep you from filing your reports. I know they can be strict with lateness."_

Even if Shouto would be fined, the phone call with Izuku was absolutely worth it. He wanted to continue talking but knew that the two of them had other things to attend to that day. Shouto wondered if he was calling on a break in between clients. It made the hero's heart soar knowing that Izuku took time out of his free periods to message him.

"I look forward to it. See you then."

" _Same! Also Shouto?_ "

"Yes?"

" _I uh, love you!"_

Shouto's face grew red, causing him tilt himself onto his mattress. He realized that he actually never said the words to Izuku, since he wasn't able to muster it in time before Izuku said it himself. It was true though, that's how he felt despite never having any experience with the concept of love. Sure, he loved his sister and brothers, and his mother, but those were familiar bonds.

It was a foreign phrase, it might've been too soon to say it, but for some reason it felt too _right._ Some might criticize their relationship, especially since it started in a professional manner, but when it came down to it, Izuku was someone that was important to him, someone that he wanted to protect and give happiness to, both to repay the man for what he's done for himself, and also because Izuku Midoriya deserved it.

"I love you too Izuku."

Shouto heard the other inhale sharply, before sighing loudly with small chuckling after.

" _Oh man, that's the first time hearing you say that and it's… it's really nice."_ Shouto smiled, pressing the side of his head against the pillow below him.

"And I'll say it over and over again if you'd like." He felt more confident, a lot more relaxed the longer he talked to Izuku. Even if it was through the phone, he could hear all of the emotions in the man's words and the comfort it came with.

" _I'll take you up on that. Finish your report okay?"_

"Will do. See you soon, Izuku."

" _See you soon!"_

The two of them waited in silence before Izuku was the one to end the call. Shouto looked at his phone, his heart beating matched his flushed cheeks. The realization hit Shouto in that moment, a few things came across his mind. First, he loved talking to Izuku Midoriya. Every conversation they had brought something new to Shouto's life and stirred something in his heart. Second, they would be able to talk a lot more outside of a professional office setting. Third, he was completely in love with Izuku Midoriya.

-  
The day came quicker since Shouto didn't have to wait a full week to see Izuku. Considering the weekend was right around the corner, during the days before he occupied himself with hero work. Shouto worked harder on his self-image, smiling a tiny bit more and being more courteous as a professional hero. He got rid of the ice encasement on his left side and let it be. On an occasion, he did try to use his fire quirk but stopped, too unsure on whether or not he could properly control during the fight. On top of that, he felt it wouldn't be right to use his fire side yet, not until he saw her.

The Midoriya residence was near the office building, making it easy to find. For some reason, Shouto didn't think that Izuku would be living in an apartment complex. Surely he made more money than that? Though when Shouto thought about it, when he researched Izuku before meeting him the first time, he did notice that the therapist was inclined to donate large portions of his profits to charities, most relating to quirk development and children care. Remembering that, Shouto couldn't help but share a small smile. Truly, Izuku was the hero the world deserved. Even with fame and money he was modest.

Shouto brought some sparkling apple cider with him, finding it only polite to bring something for the lunch. It might not have been much, but considering Izuku telling him it wasn't needed, he hoped that it would be appreciated.

He made his way up to the floor and found the correct door number, taking a pause before knocking on the door gently.

The door opened and Izuku beamed brightly at him. It was the first time Shouto ever saw him outside of his formal, professional attire. Instead of a button up, he wore a loose white shirt that had he English words for "dress shirt" on it. Accompanying it was a blue and white plaid short-sleeved flannel with dark grey jeans. In this setting he looked like any average young man. Any other 23-year-old would probably still be in university, but the man before him was actually one of the country's top Pro-Hero counselors. It was strange to see him like that, the person he actually was outside of the office, but also some sort of comfort. It reminded Shouto that this kind of view was special, and reserved for him.

"Shouto hey! Here come in." Izuku held the door open for him, Shouto bowing politely before entering and taking off his shoes.

"I brought some cider, thank you for having me." He smiled softly at Izuku, holding out the plastic bag. The green-haired man beamed, taking it from him.

"Aw, thanks! Mom's gonna love that! Lunch is pretty much ready, hey I hope you like cold soba!" Izuku grinned cheekily, causing Shouto to scoff playfully.

"I love cold soba, how did you know?" He teased, walking over to the dinner table.

Inko Midoriya walked out of the kitchen and placed a bowl of noodles in the middle of the table before turning towards Shouto. She gave a friendly smile, though laced with nervousness as he'd seen before in the office.

"Hi! It's nice to officially meet you Mr. Todoroki! Or, well I suppose I can call you Shouto now?" Inko bowed her head gently before pulling a chair out for him. "Please sit! I just finished making everything!"

Shouto thanked her before sitting in the seat. Izuku took the seat next to him before placing the bottle of apple cider on the table.

"Shouto also brought us some cider mom!"

"Oh! Thank you so much, that was very kind." She took the bottle and opened the top, pouring out three glasses for all of them. Shouto thanked her once again and waited for Izuku to get some noodles into his bowl. Izuku placed a few containers of sauces in the middle before handing Shouto a mixing plate.

"Feel free to mix your sauce, we don't have everything but we got the basic stuff." Izuku explained sheepishly. Shouto shook his head.

"It's no problem, everything looks great, thank you Mrs. Midoriya, Izuku." He bowed his head gently before pulling some soba noodles into his bowl. The mother only smiled happily, offering more noodles with her own chopsticks in the hero's bowl.

"Don't be shy! There's plenty so feel free to eat more! I also have some wasabi in the fridge if you want to mix that in your sauce! Izuku here doesn't do well with spicy-" A groan of protest was heard next to Shouto.

Izuku pouted while Shouto chuckled, shaking his head and said his no thank yous. He took some of the dashi base and mixed it in with some soy sauce. Shouto didn't notice that Izuku was watching him, interested in the kind of sauce he was making. When he looked up to the man beside him, the other quickly looked away, flushing. The mother only laughed as she began scooping noodles into her bowl.

-  
Lunch at the Midoriya's went by without a hitch, even Shouto had been able to relax himself in the presence of Izuku's mother. Something he discovered and in hindsight, might've been obvious, was that Inko Midoriya loved talked about her son and his accomplishments. She happily went on and on about Izuku and what he was like as a child, much to the man's dismay. Izuku had slumped back in his seat for the majority of the lunch, face red and lips pouting. He whined countless times and when Shouto tried to meet his glance, Izuku would hide his face in embarrassment. It put a smile onto Shouto's face.

After lunch was finished, Inko gestured both men towards the hall way. She pointed at a couple of framed diplomas and pictures that hung proudly on the walls, Inko beaming brightly at them all.

"That's the first diploma he received at the University of Tokyo! He was working so hard during those days, he got in on a scholarship did you know that?" She turned to Shouto, finger still in the air pointing at the plaque.

Izuku could only whine, taking Inko's arm and dragging her out the hall.

"Mooom! How about we not talk about that and I can clean the dishes?" Inko turned towards her son, patting his arm.

"Oh it's alright, I can take on the dishes! Why don't you show Shouto your room?" It seemed as both Izuku and Shouto found the idea to be out of the picture, both faces burning up. The very idea of going into Izuku's room wasn't something Shouto had ever considered! To think of something like that, it just didn't feel right.

"Mom I really don't want to take him to my room…" Izuku rubbed the back of his head. "It's sort of embarrassing…"

Inko only smiled brighter. "Then you can do the dishes and I'll show him your room!" Izuku looked like he wanted to scream in fright. He quickly took ahold of Shouto's arm and began leading him down the hall.

"It's okay mom! I'll show Shouto around! No need! Ha, haha!" Izuku quickly turned into a room that had an All Might welcome hanger with Izuku's name on it. In a blink of an eye, Shouto was inside of Izuku's bedroom. The first thing he noticed was all the All Might posters and memorabilia. Though there were other hero figures and wall decorations, the No. 1 Pro was the center of the show.

Shouto turned towards Izuku who was covering his face with his hands. He stumbled over to his bed and fell onto it, groaning into the blankets.

"Mmmm I'm so embarrassed!" He yelled out into the sheets, audible and coherent enough for Shouto to understand. Shouto could only chuckle, walking over to pat Izuku's back.

"It's very cozy. It's actually quite similar to your office." He looked over to the organized desk to the side of the bed as well as the filing cabinets. It almost was an exact replication of the office, just with different wall paper and flooring, not to mention a bed.

"Noooo!" Izuku complained louder, lifting his head up to look at Shouto. "Don't make fun of me okay? Oh my gosh you're totally judging me."

Shouto chuckled and walked around. "I'd be lying to say I wasn't interested, but I would never make fun of you. Idolizing heroes, especially All Might, there's nothing wrong with that." He stopped at a smaller desk that had a couple of notebooks on top. Some notebooks were put away neatly but what caught Shouto's eyes were a couple of composition notebooks that had tape labels over their binding that started from 1 to 12.

Izuku seemed to have noticed and got off the bed, walking over. "What are you looking at?" He asked, moving closer to look around his desk. Shouto pointed at the notebooks, a spark of interest in his eyes. Izuku smiled brightly and took out the notebook that was labelled "12".

"Remember when I said I used to analyze quirks when I was younger? I did it all in here! I actually had thirteen notebooks total, but the last one had All Might's signature, so you know where that went." Shouto nodded, recalling the signature that was framed up on the lobby's wall back at the office. He wondered why Izuku didn't rip out the signature, but he assumed that the man at the time didn't want to risk the possibility of damaging the autograph.

Izuku took a few of the notebooks out and flipped through a couple of the pages, stopping until Shouto saw a novice sketch of a student with spiky hair.

"This is what I had on Kacchan at the time, we've known each other since we were maybe… well, uh, probably since we were infants. My mom and his parents were friends, so we hung out a lot. I'm sure you know since you were his classmate, but he was really prideful of his quirk. Most people found him to be full of himself but I really looked up to him." Izuku smiled gently, more to himself as he ran a hand down the page.

Shouto kept his attention on Izuku and his expressions. He noticed the somber look the green-haired man was giving to the notebook.

"I used to wish for a quirk like Kacchan's you know? When I was really young." He began. Shouto began to fret, wondering if Izuku would have another moment of self-loathing about himself and his quirkless status. Before he could say something, Izuku turned to Shouto and grinned.

"But you know what? I'm actually starting to feel glad that I was born quirkless!" Shouto blinked at the sudden exclamation.

"Really?" The pro hero couldn't help but keep skeptical about the claim.

"Yeah, because if I wasn't quirkless, there might've been a chance I would've never met you." Izuku's face softened, a light red blush spread across his face. "I mean, maybe we would've met, but we also might not have? I guess you can call it fate or something, but being able to meet you now in my life makes all the hardships worth it…" Izuku quickly turned his face to hide his growing, flustered expression.

Shouto could only match Izuku's flushed face with his own reddened face. He didn't know how to respond to that with words, so instead he leaned in gently to kiss the top of the green-haired man's nose. Izuku leaned his forehead against the Shouto's, looking into the other's heterochromatic eyes.

"I'm… I'm really glad I met you Shouto." Izuku whispered gently, his lips quivering softly. Shouto could only smile in response, taking the man's hands in his own.

"I feel blessed to have met you. I've told you before, but I'll keep telling you that you've changed my life for the better Izuku." Shouto moved his face up, the other man's unkempt green hair tickling his face, placing a small kiss on the top of his forehead. Listening to Izuku's sharp inhale made Shouto's heart beat faster. The intimacy between them in that moment was nerve wracking for both parties, but somehow felt too good to pass up.

Izuku moved his head down to lock eyes with Shouto, intertwining their fingers.

"C-Can I kiss you?" He asked softly, almost looking away in embarrassment but kept his gaze. Shouto nodded his head and leaned in gently. Izuku's eyes fluttered closed as he slowly moved his face closer, placing his lips gently against Shouto's.

"Izuku! Shouto!" The call of Inko rang through the hallways, causing both men to jump in shock and head butt one another. Izuku fell onto the floor while Shouto crouched down, placing his right hand onto his head as he began emitting some frost.

Izuku rolled onto his side, hiding his massive blush with his arms. Shouto couldn't help but share the embarrassment he felt, and the pain he felt on his forehead.

-  
The two walked side by side down the street towards the train station, both bundled in warm clothing. It wasn't too late in the day, just a bit past 1 o'clock but the skies were still gloomy from the overcast and the grey clouds.

Izuku mostly followed Shouto's lead since he was the one that knew the way to the hospital, but while walking Shouto always stopped to double check himself, using his phone for guidance. He had never actually been to the hospital that held his mother, not once as a child and never before as an adult. Izuku placed a hand on the man's shoulder, reassuring him that everything would be okay.

Though lunch time had relaxed Shouto, the trip to the hospital had reinvigorated all of the pro hero's nerves and anxiety. His knee shook, bobbing up and down when they sat in the train waiting for their stop. Izuku had noticed (with his trained eye) and leaned over to whisper comforting words to him. Shouto could only calm himself for about a few seconds before his thoughts trailed off, worrying him more and more about the upcoming meeting with his mother.

No words were exchanged other than a few words of reassurance and some directions. Once they had arrived in the front gates of the hospital, Shouto had hesitated. How long had it been since he saw his mother face to face? More than a decade at least. How would his mother react seeing his scarred face? Would she still see his father in his left side? Perhaps she had already moved on from the life she was imprisoned with, being there might trigger her memories of being nothing more than a tool, being chained up. Maybe it would be best to not see her, for her sake. It's been too long anyways, the damage was done, and Shouto didn't want to cause her any more pain than he already had in the past. It might be best to leave, to never come back, to never see her again-

"Shouto."

He didn't notice how hard he was breathing until Shouto turned to look at Izuku who had a hand on his shoulder.

"Deep breaths, in and out. You _need_ to do this. Not just for her, but for yourself." Izuku's stern eyes kept Shouto at bay, the thoughts of uncertainty hid away for the time being. He swallowed hard, nodding before turning towards the entrance of the hospital. Slowly he made his way inside.

The inside of the hospital was extremely bright, the light reflecting off all the white wall paper and nurse scrubs. How could someone stand all of this light? Shouto wouldn't know how he'd be able to stand more than five minutes there. He walked over to the receptionist desk and requested to visit his mother, stating his name as well as his relationship. Izuku came forth as well, explaining who he was and that he would also be attending as a stand by therapist for Shouto, if they permitted it. Once the two got the room number, they headed up the elevators to the correct floor.

Shouto pressed the 3rd floor's button, watching it light up as the elevator door closed. Izuku leaned back on the railings behind them.

"Remember when we talked about what the worst outcome is?" Izuku spoke up, closing his eyes and took a deep breath himself. Shouto followed suit, inhaling sharply and held it in for a few seconds before exhaling. He nodded his head.

He remembered saying the worst case scenario would be if his mother attacked him. Looking back, it was quite a wild conclusion to come up with.

"And your best case scenario?" Izuku added, turning to look at Shouto who nodded his head. "Good, if you need anything I'll be standing by the door, but you have to talk to her yourself." This was something that only Shouto could attempt, Izuku was only there was moral support. He knew that he couldn't rely on Izuku to fix all of his problems, since of course, that wasn't the job of a therapist. The job of a counselor was to make suggestions and give advice, the real power stayed with the client - whether they pursue those betterments or not was up to them.

The elevator door opened and the pair headed down the hall, counting each number on the passing doors. Shouto and Izuku stopped in front of _the_ door, the one that had Mrs. Todoroki inside. All the plague said was "315" and below, "Mrs. Todoroki." Izuku stood behind the other whose gaze fell on the door handle. He took one look back at the man behind him who nodded his head, tuft of green hair bouncing. Shouto took a deep breath, reaching out to the door handle and slid it open, walking in cautiously.

In front of him was a woman dressed in a hospital attire Her back was to Shouto, her view turned to look out the window. In her hands was a small photograph.

Shouto felt the lump in his throat fight him from speaking. Everything tried to prevent the man from getting words out. His throat felt sore, his mouth was dry, his voice wanted to crack, absolutely everything was telling him not to call out to her – but he had to.

"Mom." He called out softly. There was so much he wanted to talk to her about. So much he wanted to apologize for.

Slowly she turned her face, her mouth parted slightly as she stared up at the man that was once her young son. She had aged from the current of time, but her face was as beautiful as Shouto remembered it. He stood there, staring at his mother. She never deserved any of the pain his father brought her, she was nothing more but a pawn to him. Tied down by jealousy and fame, his father brought others down with him. Seeing her face in that moment reminded him of why he was there, what it meant to be a hero – to save people.

He slowly walked towards her, knowing that this moment right here would be his starting line. Even if she didn't ask, he would save her from the prison that shaped their lives.

-  
"The food here isn't as bad as it seems, they actually have a variety of meals here, though they don't have chilled soba here." Mrs. Todoroki giggled softly, holding her sleeve gently. Shouto nodded his head. He sat next to her in a separate chair, listening to her stories about the experiences she had in the hospital. Both Todorokis had tissues in their hands, both had cried at some point during the visit, using the tissues afterwards.

"Well, if they'll allow it, I can bring in some soba. I actually had some today for lunch." Shouto glanced back despite knowing Izuku had already exited out of the hospital room to give the two of them their privacy.

Shouto's mother seemed to notice, taking ahold of her son's hand gently. "Thank you so much for coming Shouto, you have no idea how much I've missed you." Her hand moved up to cup Shouto's left cheek, rubbing her thumb on the rough scarred skin. "I'm so sorry… You said you've forgiven me but I don't think I can ever forgive myself for doing that to you."

Shaking his head, Shouto placed his hand on top of hers. "You have nothing to apologize for." He closed his eyes, leaning into his mother's touch. "I should be the one apologizing, for not visiting, for forgetting you."

"I never once resented you for not coming, I've always thought you hated me for hurting you." Her voice shook, arms wrapping around her son's shoulders in an embrace.

Shouto sniffed softly, returning the hug gently. "I promise I'll visit more, there's so much I want to talk to you about. There's a lot I want you to know while you've been gone." His mother moved out of the embrace and wiped her eyes gently with a finger.

"Please do, I want to hear about everything. Your school days, your hero days, everything." She gave a small smile, her dimples appearing on her face. Shouto returned her expression with a grateful smile of his own.

"I will." Everything in Shouto's life had begun to lie itself out neatly before him. All of the anxiety had disappeared into the winds, never to come back. The best case scenario had occurred – no, what had happened was better than what he had ever dreamed of. He had apologized but she convinced him that there was nothing for him to be sorry about. On top of that, she had confessed to been keeping a watchful eye on him through news outlets.

 _You're a hero now Shouto, but remember that your power isn't mine or your father's, it's your's. You shouldn't hate half of it. You can use your own powers._

Shouto had broken down into tears upon hearing those words, muttering small apologies over and over again for forgetting what she had said to him all those years ago. All the years of building and maintain the wall that held him back had finally crumpled in a span of a few sentences. Somewhere deep down, Shouto had been pleading to hear those words once more.

"Also," Shouto snapped out of his daze, looking at his mother who had a rather mischievous look on her face. "Are you ever going to tell me who that man you came in with is?" She laughed softly, sitting back in her chair.

"Ah, um." Shouto flushed gently, rubbing the back of his neck. (A habit he picked up from Izuku?) "His name is Izuku Midoriya. He's my therapist."

Mrs. Todoroki's eyes widened. "A therapist? Are you doing okay?" The worry in her face looked familiar to Inko Midoriya's, Shouto noticed.

"Yes, he's a pro hero counselor who's been helping me with my image as a hero. If it wasn't for him, I don't think I'd be here visiting you actually. He's quite good." Shouto turned his head down to flush gently. He wanted to tell his mother more, how Izuku was the person who saved him from his abyss of lonliness, from the pit of regret and self-doubt. He couldn't recall what life was like before meeting Izuku.

Shouto's mother seemed to have noticed the faint red looming on her son's face, tapping his shoulder gently. "Anything else you'd like to say?" An eyebrow raised on her face, Shouto blinking in surprise. They've only just reunited and it seems like she could pick up on all of his gestures and movements.

"He's also my…" Shouto cleared his throat and nearly cracked. "Boyfriend."

His mother's face lit up brightly, a smile spreading across her face. "Can I meet him?"

Shouto was starting to feel the embarrassment Izuku had with his own mother. It wasn't like he didn't want his mother to meet Izuku, it just felt a bit… nerve-wracking? Risky? What would she even say to him?

"When I come back next time, I'll bring him and I can properly introduce him to you." Shouto explained, his mother nodding.

"Of course. Please, give him my thanks. I'm happy to know you have someone to help you." She moved gently to kiss the top of her son's head, standing up with him. Shouto returned the gesture with a watery smile and kissed her cheek gently.

"Thank you, mom." He waved goodbye to her and walked out of the door. Shouto took a long, deep breath before releasing it, his nerves finally calming and settling.

Izuku stood against the wall facing the door, holding his phone. Shouto could hear the small voices of reporters and could tell it was something related to heroes that made Izuku smile at his screen. Once the green-haired man looked up and noticed Shouto, he nearly dropped his phone on the floor.

"S-Shouto!" He ran over, throwing his arms around the other. "H-How did it go? I mean from what I heard when I was there, it went really well! I'm really happy for you!" Izuku cried out, his face bright with an excited smile and tears forming at the corner of his eyes.

Shouto took one look at the shorter man and returned the embrace with a tight grip. He buried his face in the crook of the man's shoulder blade, holding him close.

"This is all thanks to you. What have I ever done in this world to deserve you, Izuku?" Shouto moved his hand up to hold the back of Izuku's head, moving his own face to kiss him gently on the cheek. Izuku could only smile back, leaning into Shouto's embrace as the hero showered him with kisses on each freckle.

-  
The hero agency that Shouto had teamed up with was having their post-mission meeting. He sat in the conference room, listening attentively as they concluded their assignment with positive remarks and victory. Once everyone received their paperwork to be filled out, Shouto headed out the room to the lobby.

A buzz from his phone caught his attention, fishing it out of his belt since Shouto was still in his hero outfit. One look at the message tag had him smiling.

 **[TEXT] IZUKU MIDORIYA :** shouto! SHOUTO!

Below the text was a link to a local news outlet website. A picture of himself alongside the other heroes he teamed up with were featured on the main page of the article, but what was interesting this time around was that his hero costume had been adjusted _and_ he was using his fire quirk.

The headlines read **FREEZE USING FIRE SIDE? SHOULD WE STILL CALL HIM FREEZE?**

Shouto groaned at the title, sitting at the lobby sofa to text back Izuku.

 **[TEXT] :** I've completely forgotten about my hero name. Mostly everyone I work with calls me Todoroki.

Three dots immediately appeared after he sent the text.

 **[TEXT] IZUKU MIDORIYA :** that's ok! next session we can finally talk about your name change!

 **[TEXT] IZUKU MIDORIYA :** i actually come up with some ideas already whoops

 **[TEXT] IZUKU MIDORIYA :** but you should start thinking about it!

 **[TEXT] IZUKU MIDORIYA :** ill see you then! 3

Shouto couldn't help but chuckle at the heart that Izuku sent in the last text. He thought about sending a heart back, but chose against it. He still wasn't used to texting so casually like his oh so professional therapist.

 **[TEXT] :** I'll see you then.

He paused for a second before typing once moce.

 **[TEXT] :** I love you.

It only took a few seconds for Shouto to receive a reply.

 **[TEXT] IZUKU MIDORIYA :** i love you too Shouto! see you soon!

Shouto was never going to get used to seeing the phrase being sent to him. It wasn't thrown casually, he knew Izuku too well at this point to have any sort of doubts, but the mere fact that the person he came to admire and respect had reciprocated his own emotions with such vigor? Everything in Shouto's life seemed to finally fit perfectly together, finally balanced itself out and came to a pact of unity.

It almost seemed like Shouto Todoroki's life could only get better from here on out.

-  
"Shouto's finally using his fire is he?" Endeavor stood out of his chair, looming over his side kicks and secretaries in his office. A few smaller workers had tablets in their hands, going through the news outlets to show their No. 1 hero the news that had been circulating in the past few hours.

"Yes sir! It looks like your son has finally decided to use the quirk you passed down on him!" One of the side-kicks had called out, showing the image of the news article on their tablet to Endeavor.

The fire hero stepped out from his desk, rubbing his fiery beard thoughtfully. His face seemed to scrunch in a grimace that alerted the other side kicks and workers to take a step back before Endeavor threw his arm down on his desk.

"If it wasn't for that All Might revealing his true form… I would've been able to have Shouto surpass him!" He growled, turning back to his desk and then stared down at his side kicks. "There isn't a point for him anymore, All Might is no longer above me." Endeavor spat the words out like it was venom, clearly not fully wanting to accept the fact. For the many years that All Might had retired, Endeavor found his placement as No. 1 to be some sort of cheat, something he didn't fully earn with his powers.

"But sir, perhaps your son could climb up the ranks regardless? And with the hero Lemillion coming close behind you, you did say his powers reminded you of All Might's!" Endeavor frowned at the thought.

He turned towards the side kicks and walked down the floor of the main office, heading past them.

"Enough about Shouto, we should head onto patrol." He huffed angrily, his facial hair bursting into larger flames.

A side kick tapped a few buttons on her tablet before calling out to Endeavor.

"Mr. Endeavor sir, it seems like maybe the reason your son has finally accepted his powers was because he's been attending some quirk counseling!" This stopped Endeavor in his stride, causing him to freeze and slowly turn his head back.

"What did you say?"

The sidekick jumped at the sudden aura of the room darkening. "Um, some articles are suggesting that your son has been attending pro hero quirk counseling with a well-known specialist, which is a possible reason why he's finally using his fire quirk." She explained once more.

Endeavor's eyes narrowed dangerously, glaring into all of the people in the room. He could feel the judgement in the room already. His son? Attending counseling? PATHETIC! DISGRACEFUL!

"No son of mine is going to drag my name through the mud like this!" Fire burst through Endeavvor's palms, the flames licking at the furniture and illuminating the office. He headed towards the side kick who held her tablet close to her chest.

"Find out everything about this. I won't let that ungrateful brat dishonor my name with this side show."

Endeavor turned on his heels and walked out of his office, slamming the doors shut behind him.


	6. Session 5 & Reunion 2

"You know this was coming Shouto."

The hero in question stared down at the ground, though he focused on Izuku's feet which were planted onto the carpet below. Izuku had sunk back into his bean bag chair, hands folded over his stomach as he stared long and hard at Shouto, seriousness evident in his face.

He rubbed the back of his neck, sinking further into the bean bag chair as his mind rolled back to the different names that flew around his thoughts. There were a lot, but none of them seemed to stick. Shouto wasn't good at this, he knew that from before so to actually try this time around it was well… difficult.

Shouto sighed deeply, sitting up and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper and smoothened it out on his knee. He took one look at the paper and felt his face grow red with embarrassment. The thought about ripping the paper crossed Shouto's mind but instead he slowly handed it over to Izuku.

Izuku hopped out of his bean bag chair and crossed his legs in on the floor, sitting himself in front of Shouto as he took a look at the paper. His face beamed, causing the other's face to redden even more. Shouto turned himself around to smother his face into the bean bag chair, groaning loudly.

"I'm not good at this stuff." He confessed, though it's mostly muffled by the bean bag chair.

"It's alright, tons of people have trouble with hero names. I know you wanted to wait it out but we got to do this. Unless you want to everyone to continue calling you Freeze." Izuku leaned over to pat Shouto's back.

More groaning came from the bean bag chair, becoming audible when Shouto moved to sit back up correctly on his chair. He watched as Izuku scanned through the list of names Shouto had compiled throughout the week. It wasn't an extremely long list but there were enough thrown out ideas for hero codenames to fill half the page. Izuku's lips curved up every so often as he moved onto the next name – Shouto could only imagine which names were causing the other to chuckle.

"You know, these aren't that bad." Izuku smiled brightly at Shouto who returned it with a cold, unamused face. "Not _all_ of them." The counselor added before he began to smooth the paper even more.

"Ice-Fire," Izuku started but is quickly caught off guard by the look of absolute terror on Shouto's face.

"No don't say them out loud." He pleaded.

"Frozen Flames, Frost Flare, a lot of alliterations huh?" Izuku continued, Shouto burying his head into his hands. "Cold Burn, I kind of like that one. Um," He continued to go through the list of names in his head, muttering to himself about the implication of each one of them. Shouto could barely hear what he's saying as Izuku's muttering behind his fingers. Words like 'children' and 'image' are heard, but it was difficult for Shouto to truly understand any coherent sentences.

Shouto watched as Izuku's eyebrows furrowed. Did that mean there was something wrong with his list? Well, they weren't good but they were just ideas. Izuku did say to write down every possible hero name he came up with.

"You didn't star any?" Izuku asked, taking out his own notebook. He placed his index finger behind a blue sticky pad that peeked out of the papers, pulling it over to the pages he wrote down for all of Shouto's sessions.

Shouto shook his head. "You told me to star names that I felt strongly about. I didn't really like any of them." He shrugged gently, looking away towards the couch that was next to them. Izuku nodded, clicking his pen and began writing in his notebook.

He watched as Izuku's hand worked it's magic – he wrote _fast._ Before he knew it, Shouto was presented with an entire page with different maps and columns. Izuku held it out for her and used the back of his pen to point out a few things.

"The biggest thing for heroes is their names. It's going to follow you forever and not many people will get the opportunity to change their titles like you. Since the media is really interested about you and how you're using your fire powers now, they'd want to find a new name for you since 'Freeze' won't suit both of your quirks." Izuku started, running his pen down to a box that had the words 'quirk(s).'

"In your case, if we boil it down your powers are very simplistic and easy for anyone to understand. Kids understand it, you have fire and ice powers. Some people make hero names that give clues to their powers and it looks like you were really trying to get that across with the names you wrote. There's nothing wrong with that of course! But here's something else to consider," Izuku's pen moved down to a different box that was circled numerous times. Though Shouto had seen Izuku's handwriting before, it was interesting to see how his passion for heroes and quirks were legible through his penmanship.

Shouto read the words 'meaning' and raised an eyebrow. He looked up and waited for Izuku to elaborate. The man seemed more than happy to continue talking.

"So a name is one thing, but it's always a good idea to have meaning behind it. Take All Might for example!" Izuku's face continued to beam. "His name doesn't really give us any hints to what his quirk is, but we know that his name is powerful, which shows in his strength. On top of that, All Might has that kind of ring to it that tells you that everything will be okay. When you add that with his signature smile and catchphrase, you come out with a memorable hero that's popular with everyone!" Izuku almost looks like a small child to Shouto, ready to jump out of his seat and run around the room with his All Might figure. As Izuku gleamed with pride, Shouto couldn't help but feel a bit more anxious about deciding what his hero name would be. Even if Izuku was trying to help, the realization that his name would stick with him for the rest of his hero career was daunting.

The hero turned to look at the notebook, squinting at the other words. His furrowed brows showed confusion, prompting Izuku to pull the notebook back onto his lap and hummed thoughtfully.

"We can always push it back another week before deciding on the name, normally you have more time than this but you know." Izuku rubbed the back of his head. Shouto could only imagine what the media could come up during the week. Since he was still a pro hero, he'd be on active duty and the work he does will be all over the Hero Net and news outlets. They'd still question his current hero name and give him a new one. If he had to choose a new hero name he'd rather it be something on his own terms than have the reporters think of something.

Shouto shuddered at the thought, shaking his head gently. "I'd like to get this done today, with your help. If there's anyone that can help me it's you." He added, sending Izuku a small smile.

A slight blush appeared on Izuku's cheek but he didn't fluster away. He only smiled brighter at Shouto and got up from the ground. Stretching his arms he placed his notebook onto the office desk, moving behind to rummage through a few of the drawers. Shouto got up from the bean bag chair and sat back down on the sofa instead.

"You know I'm always here to help, but ultimately I'd like you to be the one to make and choose your name. I can give small suggestions but I really want to see you come up with something you like." Izuku walked back carrying a dry-erase board and some expo markers. He pulled his office chair over and sat in front of Shouto, handing him the board and markers.

"Just write some more names down! And I'll test them out on you! Remember, a hero name is something that embodies you." Izuku pulled up his legs and criss-crossed them in his office seat. He held onto his ankles, rocking back and waited as Shouto stared down at the whiteboard.

Shouto took a moment to think of the various other names that he knew. Ingenium? It was a family name so it had its own loaded meaning. Red Riot – a tribute to Crimson Riot, another loaded name. Uravity was a combination of Uraraka's family name and gravity, relating to her quirk. Explodo was… well, Bakugou wasn't someone you wanted to get hero naming advice from.

He thought about his own quirk. Fire and ice. Father and mother. Hot and cold. They were polar opposites, far away from each other. The two elements fought one another for dominance, the purpose for one another was to destroy the other. Shouto wasn't born in the most conventional way, everything about him was forced and asymmetrical like a messy doll that was sown with different parts. That's how he used to feel about himself, but things were different now.

The feeling of dread had left, Shouto was no longer a tool for his father. He could be his own person and finally come to term with who he was and his powers. It wasn't his mother and father's quirk, but it was his own to do with as he pleased. Fire and ice didn't have to fight against one another; instead, it was finally time for them to work in tandem.

 _It's your power!_

The words echoed in Shouto's mind. It truly was his own power now, and finally after visiting his mother did he come to term that only he could decide where to go from then. Everything led back to a simple question: what did Shouto want? The answer was as clear as the sky that day. He wanted to protect the people he loved and save those from harm. No one deserves to suffer, and in order to combat the darkness in the world Shouto would become a hero.

Though he's labelled a pro hero, Shouto felt like this was the moment where he would decide to truly become the hero his younger self always dreamed of. He could imagine the smaller version of Shouto, sitting in front of the television admiring the heroes before him. There were reasons why they were admired, and finally Shouto understood why seeing those heroes made him so happy.

The names makes a hero, and Shouto wanted to be able to have those who looked up to him have a name that held meaning. Some kind of name that could inspire those who saw his heroic actions and strived to do the same.

Shouto finally opened one of the markers and took a moment to visualize the name before him. Izuku leaned over but quickly moved back when Shouto looked up at him. The counselor whistled nonchalantly and spun to the side. Shouto only chuckled and moved the chair so Izuku wasn't facing him.

"I'll write one, then you can spin around and be surprised." He explained, moving to finally write down the name he had on his mind. He could hear Izuku's chuckling from behind the chair, accompanied by the squeaking noise of the marker against white board. Finally, he took one look at his handwriting and gave a deep breath of relief. It was definitely better than anything else he had written, and at least this time there was meaning behind it.

"Okay." Shouto held the board out to Izuku who began rolling himself over. Once Izuku saw the word, his face broke out into a giant grin. The counselor nearly launched himself out of his chair and took ahold of the board, eyes glistening.

"SHOUTO!" He yelled out, taking the board and looking at it from different angles. Izuku held it back to show Shouto, the black marker clearly wrote out the word:

 **DUALITY.**

"Tell me!" Izuku handed the white board back to Shouto and scrambled to get his own notebook, turning towards his page and clicked his pen a few times. "Tell me how you thought of this one! And what you think!" Shouto could almost see the steam spewing from the man's nose and ears.

Shouto could only sigh in relief, happy to see that Izuku had become so excited by his first attempt.

"I was thinking, my quirk are nearly opposites of one another, but I came to term that I shouldn't be thinking of them as two different quirks. They both work differently, but when I thought more about it, I realized they were more like halves of a whole." Shouto looked down at the white board before smiling softly. "So instead of fighting over which one to use, I can use them both together. That's what 'duality' means to me. Where two things that might seem like the opposite come together." He looked up to see Izuku's face, welling up with tears.

"Um Izuku-"

"That's beautiful Shouto!" He cried out, interrupting him. Izuku sniffed loudly, wiping his eyes and took ahold of Shouto's hands. They were warm, that's what Shouto noticed first. "I think it's an amazing hero name! It really embodies who you are!" Izuku sat back in his seat and held his hands up to the sky.

"Two halves of a whole the fire and ice hero, Duality!" Izuku announced, face grinning from ear to ear. Shouto only smiled to himself and then to the board, taking the marker and placed a big star next to the name.

Duality. It might not be a proper name and people would of course judge it, but it was the name he chosen for himself. Only he could shape his destiny and he didn't have to be bounded by his birthright. If the media made fun of the name then oh well, let them be. The only people he wanted to impress was the future generations and well… his boyfriend.

Izuku's smile took away any concern and worries Shouto might've had about his new hero name. If Izuku Midoriya, _his hero_ , liked it, then it must've been a really good name.

-  
Once Izuku led Shouto out of the office, he took one look around to see that no one else was in the lobby and quickly wrapped his arms around Shouto's neck. The taller hero held onto the green-haired man's waist and swung him a bit before placing a kiss on the side of his head.

"Shouto I'm so happy for you! I can't wait to see it in the headlines!" Izuku took ahold of Shouto's face and placed a kiss on his cheek, smiling brightly. Reveling in the embrace, Shouto squeezed Izuku gently and placed him back down onto the ground.

Izuku walked over to the receptionist desk, a sign that said "on lunch" was placed on the top. He handed Shouto the pen so he could sign himself out and checked his phone.

"Kacchan and Kirishima are back in town, so my next meeting is with them! I don't have anyone after that so maybe you wanna meet for dinner?" Izuku asked, moving his arms behind his body like a shy schoolboy. Shouto could only chuckle at the sight, taking the pen and signing himself out on the receptionist roster.

"I'd love that, if your mother would like to come as well, we could all go out somewhere, my treat." Shouto placed the pen down and closed the book. Izuku only pouted before lightly slapping the man's shoulder.

"Stop paying for everything! You always steal the check from me!" Izuku huffed before reaching behind the desk to grab a few of the magazines his mother had snatched from the lobby's table. Shouto only stuck a tongue out playfully before following Izuku to the lobby's waiting couch. The counselor placed the magazines back on the coffee table and turned back to Shouto, scrunching up his face.

Holding out a finger, Izuku began poking at Shouto's chest. "Let me pay for today's dinner! Especially if my mom's coming okay?"

Before Shouto could respond, the door to the lobby opened up.

"Oh, that must be Kacchan and-" Izuku and Shouto turned around to come face to face with not two, but one person. It could've been anyone that day, but it just had to be the one man Shouto didn't want to see.

Endeavor stood at the entrance, wearing his hero costume and flames ablaze. Once he saw his son, his mustache and beard fired up. The built hero walked towards the two and Shouto took an instinctive step in front of Izuku.

Just what was _he_ doing here? The last time Shouto had seen his father in person was after the U.A graduation ceremony. Ever since then, he avoided him like the plague. He attempted to cut all contacts with his father as soon as he became of age, so why was his father here now of all places? Shouto could only think of a few reasons. First, his father would not be here for counseling, so that was out of the picture. Second, he might've been here for a separate reason and was in the wrong office, leading to this unfortunate meeting. Third and the most probable, was that Endeavor somehow knew Shouto was attending counseling sessions here at the Midoriya Offices and came to see if they were true for himself.

It must've been really important to Enji Todoroki to have come all this way. The rumors that his son might've been attending counseling seemed to have been significant enough for Endeavor to come over, though it wasn't to give his support.

"So you are here." His voice wasn't friendly, nor did it sound like the first two reasons Shouto had come up with. Izuku peeked out from behind Shouto to look up at Endeavor, then back to his boyfriend. Worry spread on his face as Shouto's began to darken at the sight of his father before him.

"Um," Izuku spoke up, stepping over to bow gently to Endeavor. The sight of it made Shouto upset, not wanting to see the man he loved pay respects to his father like that. Izuku only turned back to Shouto and gave him a reassuring smile before standing back up.

"It's a real honor to have Endeavor, the number 1 hero in my office! Is there anything I can help you with?" True to Izuku's person, he was kind to the man he knew was Shouto's reason for despair. Even if it wasn't true, Izuku seemed to have been able to put on a very convincing act. He'd have to ask Izuku later how he truly felt during the exchange.

Endeavor only looked down at Izuku, sizing him up. Obviously there was a difference in stature, Izuku nearly being half his size.

"I came to let you know that I will not be allowing my son to be attending any more sessions with you. Shouto does not need to take any counseling." Endeavor took a second to bow gently, knowing his own manners but Shouto could only feel the rage build up inside him.

"I'm sorry to hear that, but as you know, Mr. Todoroki is of age and doesn't require any parental permission to attend sessions like these. He's here of his own free-will and has his own freedom to choose whether or not he's going to continue attending these sessions." Izuku's voice is calm and professional compared to Shouto who is trying to keep himself silent in order to avoid blowing up. His father had come all the way to tell him that?! Why bother?

Endeavor didn't seem to take to too kindly to being talked back to like that. His mustache and beard flared again eyebrows furrowing. Izuku kept his rational demeanor, holding his ground in front of Shouto. Here he was, being the hero once again and standing up to his own father – the number 1 hero in all of Japan.

"Shouto, you are going to stop coming here, got it? Right when you start using the quirk I gave you, you try to run our name through the mud. What would people think?" There was the phrase. _What would others think?_ Why was it so bad that Shouto was here? Counseling was available to provide help to people, so when was this negative stigma implemented? Shouto never understood it, even as a child.

To the older generation it seemed like getting help was some sign of weakness, and to a parent it seemed to that if you had a child getting some sort of help, it reflects on them rather than the child. Even if Shouto's past trauma have a lot to do with his father, it wasn't like he was going to share it with the rest of the world. Everything that was shared in Izuku's office stayed there, a pact of secrecy was kept.

To have Endeavor standing before them must've meant that Enji Todoroki held onto those conservative thinking and was only considering his own reputation rather than Shouto's happiness. Everything went back to Endeavor in some way or form. The man had always been selfish, this time was no different.

"Shouto, look at me when I'm speaking to you!" His voice boomed, Shouto nearly jumped out of his thoughts. Izuku was ready to interject but Endeavor continued. "When will you stop being a trouble child? You've already accepted my power, so don't disgrace my name any more than you already have!"

Shouto's hands balled into fists, finally looking up at his father with fire in both his eyes.

"No. I'm of age, you don't control me. I don't give a shit about what me being here does to you, because attending these sessions have been helping me. There's nothing wrong with counseling." Shouto kept his cool but his voice was steadily rising the more he stared at his father.

Endeavor only seemed to take this response as a retaliation. The flames spreading larger and began licking at the walls. Izuku made sure to keep an eye on the autograph frames that were near the couch, ready to pull them off if needed.

"You insolent brat. Do you hear yourself? I am your father, you wouldn't be here if it wasn't for me! You hold the burden of carrying my name and you will NOT sully it! Being here means you're weak!"

"No! Being here means I'm strong! Stop thinking of what me being here does to you! I'm my own person, and I don't have your quirk, it's my own power! Not your's!" Shouto yelled back, his voice echoing out.

Enji snarled, pointing at Izuku Midoriya. Shouto was ready to fight if needed but Izuku only looked at Endeavor, nearly fearlessly.

"You, you're a therapist right? So give me the names of private therapists we can call. If this brat wants counseling so badly then fine, but he'll have one that's a house visit one or in a more private location. Your location is too well-known, I was able to research it fairly easily." Endeavor turned back to Shouto, frowning deeply. "If you need it so badly then fine, but we'll find a different counselor for you."

Something in Shouto's heart began tugging. There were many emotions going through his mind after hearing what his father said. First, his father was willing to let Shouto attend counseling? That was strange to hear, but of course he wanted to hush it up, similar to how he put his mother in a hospital that made sure to cover his name. Second, the implication that he had to stop seeing Izuku Midoriya had given him panic.

"No, Izu-, Mr. Midoriya and I have already had multiple sessions, he knows me well and I am comfortable being here." Shouto frowned, fists clenched at his sides. Endeavor only looked down at his son with disdain.

"I'm willing to let you have sessions and you still take it for granted? How spoiled can you be?" Endeavour roared, stepping closer to his son.

"Midoriya knows me well, he's helped me tremendously."

"You can find another person!"

"I can't find anyone else like him!"

"Stop arguing!"

"I won't!"

Endeavor turned back to Izuku, sending daggers through his glare. He took a step closer to Izuku, sizing him up once more. Shouto took ahold of green-haired man's wrist and pulled him gently back. Enji seemed to have noticed and turned sharply back at them.

"I don't care about his credentials, on top of that, I've done research and he's quirkless. What could someone like that do for us heroes with tremendous powers? It sounds like he's a fraud feeding you some kind of lies, there's no other way someone with no quirk could manage to do..." Everything Endeavor said had slowly been drowning out in Shouto's ears. With Izuku's wrist in his, Shouto was able to feel his pulse and the sudden shaking the man was producing. He turned around to see Izuku, biting on his lower lip and keeping his head low.

Visions of beaten Izuku flashed before Shouto's eyes, the tears that fell and the cries over his incompetence began ringing in Shouto's ears. Izuku saw himself as weak, being quirkless had played an unfortunately role in his confidence – especially with how society viewed those without powers. Seeing Izuku shaken before him from his own father's words filled him with blind rage and determination.

"HE'S WONDERFUL!" Shouto shouted, turning back to his father with wide eyes and a tighter grip on Izuku's wrist. "He's absolutely amazing, and clever and kind! He's the only person in my life that's helped me through everything and all my troubles! Izuku was able to tear through all my walls and save me, without him I don't think I would be able to stand here and call myself a hero! An actual hero, not someone like you!"

Izuku's breath hitched, Shouto took a large breath. He didn't mean to say all that, but he felt like it was something that had to be said. Shouto wasn't going to stand around and let someone call Izuku weak, something worthless who couldn't help others. If anyone was the real hero in that room, it was the small, green-haired man that eyes sparkled in the sunlight, and freckles that gracefully danced across his cheeks.

Both Izuku and Endeavor's face was equally shock, the lobby had gone extremely quiet. Shouto felt Izuku intertwine his fingers in his, squeezing lightly. In the corner of his eyes he saw Izuku turn towards him with a soft, appreciative smile.

"What does this man mean to you?" Endeavor's voice was low, but still threatening to Shouto's ears. It wasn't a friendly father asking about his son's boyfriend, this was something else.

Shouto didn't know how to respond or even if he should respond. He took a second to swallow as thoughts raced back and forth in his head. His eyes were still locked with his father, knowing that looking away would make his previous statements null. He meant what he said, and he stood by it.

Enji seemed to have realized something and turned on his heels, walking back to the door. He turned back to face both Izuku and Shouto, eyes deadly.

"You're going to stop coming here, or else this office will be taken apart. It's a violation for professionals to be involved with their clients, right? So if you have a brain in there, you won't come back here." Endeavor headed out the door and slammed it shut, the force reverberating through the walls.

Shouto and Izuku stood there, hand in hand as the threat finally sunk in. Izuku took a shaky breath and led Shouto onto the waiting room sofa, taking a seat. The green-haired man seemed to have taken a moment to gather himself, while Shouto's face was frozen in absolute terror.

Had he made some sort of mistake? Why was it that every time something amazing happened in his life, there was always something that went wrong? It didn't just go wrong, any hope of happiness was ripped out and shredded to pieces. Was this some kind of curse? Did everything Shouto touch fall apart?

"Shouto." Izuku placed a hand on his shoulder, snapping him out of his daze. Shouto slowly turned to look at Izuku, his face filled with concern for him.

Something inside Shouto Todoroki's mind snapped. The man before him was the most gorgeous, perfect human being in the entire world and he was going to ruin it.

"I'm sorry." Shouto felt his heart ache. If only he hadn't met Izuku, then his entire career and passion wouldn't be in jeopardy. The conflict was brought in by Shouto, everything that was going wrong was because of him.

"I-I'm so sorry…" Tears began rolling down his face, dripping onto the sofa. Izuku's eyes widen as he wrapped his arms around Shouto's shoulder, holding him close. Shouto began to cry harder, his tears cascading at an alarming speed. He wailed into Izuku's dress shirt, straining the white fabric as he took ahold of Izuku's arms.

He could only cry harder, all of his emotions pouring out. Every inch of guilty began building up, causing Shouto to ache in pain at the realization. It had been silly to think he could be happy. He wasn't born through love and this was the punishment for his very being.

In that moment, he felt like he didn't deserve Izuku and the help he had received. The entire world had gone against him and he selfishly refused to acknowledge it. How could he have been so stupid to think he could ever be happy? To be allowed to be in love?

His heart continued to ache, his cries becoming sobs as he held onto Izuku for dear life. He kept apologizing, eyes burning with tears.

"Shouto listen, please look at me." Izuku's voice sounded like a beacon of hope, guiding him back to the light. Shouto slowly lifted his face to see Izuku's, bright, warm smile. Though he was concerned, his face was ever loving.

"I love you, you got that? And I'll always love you." Shouto's lips only quivered more, crying out as he moved back to hold onto Izuku with all of his being. He continued to apologize – for being a mess, for not being strong enough, for absolutely everything that had gone wrong.

"This isn't your fault, don't blame yourself." It was almost as if Izuku was reading his mind. "We'll get through this, I promise you."

For the first time since meeting Izuku Midoriya, Shouto wasn't sure he could believe him.


	7. Break Up 1

Shouto didn't know how long he had been crying on Izuku's shoulder until the door opened and a loud voice boomed through the office. He quickly pulled away from Izuku and turned to face the other side of the wall, hiding his face in his sleeve. There was no way he wanted to expose their relationship any more than what had happened earlier with his father.

"Auntie, next time we'll go ahead and carry those grocery bags for you!" That was Bakugou's voice, as sharp and loud as it's always been.

"Katsuki you really don't have to, it's only two bags!" Inko's voice came next, causing both Shouto and Izuku to look over to see the mother walking through the door with Katsuki Bakugou and Eijirou Kirishima.

When the trio looked over to counselor and client, their casual faces had fallen to something a lot more serious. Inko was the one to come over first, taking ahold of Izuku's shoulder and Shouto's hand. "Sweetie what happened?" She asked, her voice quivering with concern.

Izuku could only give a small, sad smile in return before rubbing the back of his head. He looked from Shouto to his mother before taking a deep breath.

"U-Um, it's a long story but I guess you can say we got found out. By uh, Shouto's father." Hearing the words come out of Izuku's mouth gave Shouto a sharp pain in his chest. To actually hear what had just happened gave Shouto the sense of reality he hoped was false. While he was crying the entire world crumbled – now he had to stand in the debris and figure out a solution.

Inko's face went from a look of a confusion to sad understanding. She rubbed Shouto's shoulder gently and got up, looking back to Katsuki and Eijirou. The two stood there in casual clothing, a look of confusion riddling their faces. Izuku looked at his watch and bit his lip. He needed to move back to his office and attend the next session but with everything that's been happening, Izuku couldn't possibly leave Shouto.

The hero couldn't help but notice the way Izuku looked nervously from the other heroes to his watch. Shouto rubbed his face and took ahold of Izuku's arm.

"It's okay, I'll be fine, go ahead and take Bakugou and Kirishima." Shouto sniffed and rubbed his eyes with his sleeve again. Izuku only shook his head and got up from the sofa.

"Shouto I'm not going to just leave you like this, I…" Izuku's hand goes up into his hair, rubbing the back of his head before thinking of something else to say. As Izuku opened his mouth to say something, Bakugou stomped over and slapped Izuku's back with a gloved hand.

"Hey!" He started, looking from Izuku to Shouto. "What's the big deal huh? You going to just sit here and cry or are you going to tell us what's happening?" Eijirou walked over as well, putting a hand on Bakugou's shoulder and sent the other three an apologetic smile.

Izuku looked up to Bakugou and gave a nervous expression, his hands moving from his head to in front of him. "Kacchan I'm sorry but this is confidential information between me and Todoroki."

Shouto looked up from his position and shook his head. "It's fine, after all there's no point hiding it anymore." Izuku turned his head to look at Shouto and with just his expression, Shouto was able to understand that Izuku was asking him if it was really okay. Shouto nodded in response.

"Izuku and I started dating. We knew that it's against the law for a professional to get involved with their client, but my father, Endeavor, found that out and threatened Izuku's work if I were to continue seeing him." Shouto looked down in absolute shame, the guilt building up once more.

This seemed to get both Katsuki and Eijirou silent, looking at one another. It was the red head that came up and placed a hand on Shouto's shoulder.

"Hey man, just because your father doesn't approve doesn't mean it's the end of the world right? There might be some ways around it!" The crimson hero offers a bright smile to Shouto but he can't help the feeling of despair swirling in the pit of his stomach.

Every choice Shouto made in his life was either to appease his father or go against him. His grudge against his blood had led Shouto to become distant and cold – so the one time Shouto actually finds someone that respects and offers him love, it's another selfish act that brings the innocent gesture into a world of chaos. If it wasn't for Shouto selfishly loving Izuku and wanting to be with him, none of this would be happening. He should've known that he would've never been able to pursue a relationship, at least not without consequences.

Maybe when he was younger Shouto might've thought it was possible to have a happy life. When he was in school he came to the conclusion that he should just focus on himself since letting people into his world would only drag them down. If he knew that already, then why did he decide to open himself to Izuku?

If Shouto never gave himself hope, then maybe he could've avoided burdening Izuku with his life. It was too late for him to go back, and it's all because of his selfish actions was he able to damage the well-renown counselor's reputation. He should've realized it didn't matter if he was an adult, his father would always be there to control his life whether he wanted it or not.

What could he do to fix this? Shouto knew that if he had any hope of letting Izuku be happy, he had to stop being selfish. He need to be thoughtful of how his actions affected others, and he unnecessarily brought problems into Izuku's life when it was his job to fix them.

"Shouto?" Izuku's concerned voice brought him back to the world. Shouto looked over the man's face and nearly gasped. Izuku was absolutely stunning, with each sun-kissed freckle and soft face. Even his worried expression was fueled by his overwhelmingly strong heart. Shouto couldn't let Izuku worry for him any longer, he had to do what was right, not what he wanted.

"Izuku I'm sorry about this." He started, taking ahold of the counselor's hands.

"Shouto this isn't your fault." Izuku squeezed Shouto's hand tightly. The hero returned the gesture with a soft, sad smile.

"This is my fault, I know it is. You've helped me so much and all I did was bring in more trouble. My father is meticulous, he always gets what he wants. I shouldn't fight him anymore. I know if I do I'm only going to bring you down so," Shouto took a shaky breath. "I think we shouldn't see each other anymore."

Izuku's eyes widen in shock and confusion. The entire lobby became strangely quiet before Izuku spoke up. "You mean our sessions or?"

Shouto shook his head. "I don't think we should see each other at all. I'm sorry to have brought this to you, I should never have come here, even though I'm so grateful. All I did was bring you bad luck and cursed you." He let go of Izuku's hands and gave him a smile in the hopes of reassuring him.

"This is for the best-"

"THIS IS FOR THE BEST MY ASS!"

Everyone turned to Katsuki who stomped his way over to Shouto. The blonde took ahold of Shouto's collar and socked him in the face, throwing him back into the sofa.

"Fucking piece of shit thinking you can just go ahead and say that kind of crap?! What are you? An idiot?!" Katsuki roared, grabbing Shouto by the arm again. Inko panicked and started tugging at Katsuki's shirt.

"Katsuki what do you think you're doing?!" Inko screamed out, Kirishima moving to pull the man back as well.

"Katsu seriously, what the hell?" Kirishima looked over to Shouto who was holding his cheek, eyes widen in confusion.

Katsuki shook off the two and looked back to Shouto, snarling. "Look, you wanna talk about what's best, fine. But you love Deku yeah? And Deku loves you too, so why the fuck are you just giving up?" Katsuki pulled Shouto up and let go. "You think just because your dumbass dad comes and threatens Deku you wanna just toss him out? After everything Deku's done for you, this is how you're going to fucking repay him?"

Shouto clenched his teeth, hands shaking visibly. "I don't want to cause him any more grief, I can't let my father drag his office to the ground, I refuse to let that happen. I've been selfish for so long, so I'm doing this to repay my debt-"

"Shouto!" Izuku called out, his face brightening red though there were no tears. Actually he looked infuriated than anything else. The green-haired man stormed over to Shouto and took ahold of his arms. "I'm sorry, but can I just say some things real quick?" Shouto couldn't do anything else but slowly nod his head.

Izuku took a breath and then began shaking Shouto's shoulders.

"I love you! I don't care what your father says, we'll figure this out together! Honestly I'm so fucking pissed right now, and not at you okay? Your dad is such a shitty person and I've seen plenty of parents in my day, but oh boy he really takes the cake huh?" Izuku took a deep breath and continued. "I'm listening to the way you're talking and you think that this is your fault when it isn't! You think you don't deserve to get help and to be loved do you?!" Izuku's voice rose, Shouto's eyes widening.

"I..I," Shouto swallowed hard. "It doesn't matter what I want I don't deserve-"

Izuku started shaking Shouto harder. "There it is! I can't believe your father conditioned you to think that you don't deserve anything! Listen to me Shouto, you are your own person, you deserve happiness, you deserve love, you deserve to be a hero!" Izuku wrapped his arms around Shouto's shoulders and hugged him tightly, squeezing him. Shouto gasped and quickly wrapped his arms around Izuku's middle, feeling his eyes stinging with tears.

"I know how you feel, sometimes people make you feel worthless right? Like you don't deserve anything, but that's not true. I need you to get out of that mentality okay? And I don't care what your father wants to do, I'm going to help you, here in this office, and I'm going to keep loving you. Sorry Shouto, but you're stuck with that." Izuku pulled away and took ahold of Shouto's face, placing a kiss on his forehead.

The tears finally fell, silently onto the ground as Shouto lowered his head. Izuku moved to wipe them with a hand, lifting the man's chin up.

"Shouto I'm so happy you were born, I'm so grateful that you came and saw me." Izuku pressed his forehead against Shouto's, holding his cheek gently. It was almost like he knew exactly what to say to Shouto to make him melt. It's been like that since the absolute beginning, and even now Izuku seemed to have been able to read his mind and pin point exactly what his doubts and insecurities are.

"I'm sorry…" Shouto replied, closing his eyes and holding onto Izuku's arms. "I don't want to leave you…" He confessed and took in a deep breath.

"And that's okay, it's okay to be selfish sometimes Shouto, and guess what? I don't want you to leave me either." Izuku closed his eyes and took a deep breath as well, syncing their breathing.

The moment was ruined when a camera noise went off. The two men looked over to see Eijirou holding up his phone, taking a picture. He gives a sharp, toothy grin to the two.

"Uh, whoops?"

"Way to go asshole, fucking ruined the moment." Katsuki swung his arm at the red head, colliding with hardened skin.

"Sorry sorry, it was way too photogenic! And your mom kind of wanted it!" He admitted as Inko playfully slapped Eijirou's arm.

"No don't rat me out!" She gasped before taking the phone away from him, placing it back into her purse.

Izuku pouted while Shouto started to chuckle lowly. The small snicker turned into laughter, Shouto holding onto Izuku. He hid his face into the crook of Izuku's shoulder blade, letting himself revel in the moment before him. Shouto could never escape from the warmth he received from Izuku.

-

"Okay so listen up assholes, I'll be your stand in counselor for the time being, and Mr. Kirishima here is going to be my assistant."

"Bro why am I the assistant?"

"Shut up and just go with it!"

Katsuki glared at Eijirou who sat next to him. The red head only laughed and leaned against the restaurant table, grinning at the other two.

After the ordeal in the office, Izuku had apologized to Katsuki and Eijirou for cutting into their session time. It was Katsuki that struck a deal to them, that instead of a session, Shouto and Izuku could just treat the duo out for dinner and they'll call it a day. Eijirou seemed to have caught on and began chanting double date which got Katsuki flustered.

Izuku gave a friendly smile to Katsuki, rubbing the back of his head.

"I don't think Shouto and I need relationship counseling, uh," He was cut off by Katsuki's hand coming down on the table, making the silverware clink.

"Shut up Deku! Okay, half-half, tell me what you like about Deku over here." The blonde put his elbows on the table and leaned his chin on his hands. Shouto's face stayed blank but a tint of red ran across his cheeks.

Shouto didn't know how he could phrase it to the two in front of him. When he explained his feelings to his mother it felt a lot more natural, but considering Katsuki Bakugou and Eijirou Kirishima were both old classmates of him, there was a small feeling of nervousness.

Izuku seemed to notice Shouto's nervous disposition and turned to look at Eijirou. "Kirishima, what do you like about Kacchan?" He asked, countering the previous question. This brought a smile to red head, also catching on.

"What I like about him? What don't I _love_ about him?" Eijirou wrapped an arm around the blonde. Instead of pulling away, Katsuki grumbled. "I totally love the way he's so passionate about what he wants to do ya know? He's so fucking manly and honestly, not going to lie, during U.A I really looked up to him! People always saw him as hot-headed and overly violent but he's just super determined ya know?" Eijirou beamed brightly as he explained his reasoning, Katsuki finally pushing him away.

"Shut the fuck up! You're the one that's always determined! Stubborn too." The compliment sounded more like an insult, but it was a compliment nonetheless. Shouto couldn't help but feel a bit better, hearing Eijirou's reasoning first. The hero duo started complimenting each other in their own special way which gave Shouto the opportunity to lean over to Izuku.

"What is… their relationship?" Shouto asked softly. Izuku leaned back in, a hand cupping his mouth.

"As you know they're a hero duo, but they never really released anything about their relationship other than the fact that they live with each other. I think everyone assumes they're dating." He replied. Shouto nodded and moved back to sit straight. He knew that the two were close, but it seemed like he didn't pay enough attention to the two to know that they had romantic interest in one another.

A roar came from Katsuki, his hands going up to cover his face. The palm of his hands began smoking and Eijirou laughed beside him. He then turned to Shouto and Izuku, giving them a thumbs up.

"Yo, so listen. I don't know what your dad's deal is bro, but honestly you shouldn't think about what he thinks, ya know? If you love someone and they love you back, then that's all you can ask for, even if you have to ignore people who are close to you." His face softened, turning a bit more serious.

Katsuki moved out of position to lean back onto his palms. He mumbled a bit before placing his hands down.

"People were always giving Red Riot shit like, oh, why's he teaming up with Explodo when he's so violent and stuff? Well we work great together so suck it!" Though the situations weren't the same, Shouto was grateful for the support nonetheless.

Izuku turned to Shouto and took hold of his hand under the table. "We'll think of something, so don't worry."

Shouto nodded his head and took a deep breath. The issue was that the person in question was the Number 1 Pro Hero in the country. He had the power to take down businesses with a simple statement to the press, and the relationship between Izuku and Shouto was indeed something looked down upon.

Since Izuku was both a children's quirk development counselor and pro-hero counselor, his clients were usually young children and older pros. It was only recently that the people of Izuku's generation came into the field of heroism, so of course he might've been interested in the newer heroes he met being around the same age.

Regardless, Shouto would've preferred that he retract himself from counseling and continue to see Izuku, but the green-haired man explained to him why that wouldn't help. It would still give his father a sense of control over Shouto when he should be able to break from the parent's grasp. Secondly, their relationship can still be compromised since Shouto met Izuku during counseling and while it's technically not against any rules, Endeavor can easily twist around the truth and suggest some inappropriate behaviors that could've happened. Thirdly, Izuku wanted to be the one to help Shouto.

Their goal now was to get Endeavor to accept Shouto's independence and allow him to finish his sessions. There might've been other options but for now that was their ultimate goal. It seemed almost impossible but if anyone could do it, it would be Izuku.

Never in Shouto's childhood was he able to think he could be able to remain happy and feel the love the man had given him. He couldn't feel more grateful, his heart had melted out of its ice prison and opened up to not only Izuku but to the world around him.

Sitting there in a restaurant, watching two of his old classmates laugh and tease one another gave Shouto a new appreciation. He didn't see any of this in class, not because it didn't happen but because he kept to himself. Shouto never bothered with other people, but with Izuku by his side he was ready to open up and truly live a life his younger self had dreamed of.

Shouto chuckled as Katsuki pinched Eijirou's cheek. He took his menu and ordered for himself and Izuku.


	8. Date 3

It was a Sunday which meant no clients for Izuku. Shouto on the other hand, was always working. Heroes never sleep after all – their job is to protect the city and all of its residents. Still, it would be nice to have some vacation days for personal matters.

It was patrol all morning and afternoon for Duality. Shouto had announced his new hero name the night of the double date dinner. Katsuki and Eijirou had offered to help him with the media by going on a patrol together and using the new alias. Looking back at it, Shouto was extremely thankful and surprised that the duo would help him. Of course he expected it from Eijirou but not Katsuki. At least from what Shouto remembered of Katsuki back in school, it never seemed like he cared enough about others to willingly help them. Regardless, Shouto was grateful.

" _Duality you piece of shit, I said left!" Explodo's voice rang through the city, his hands were up blocking the villain's sharp projectiles, using his grenade attachments as a shield. Shouto rolled his eyes before sending a blast of concentrated fire towards the left – the correct left._

 _The villain jumped out of the way, dodging the fire but was greeted by Red Riot who appeared behind him._

" _Stay DOWN!" With a hardened arm, Red Riot threw a fist down, smashing the villain back into the concrete. Once the villain was unable to move, Duality used his ice to encase the criminal as a precaution._

" _Hey great job Duality!" Red Riot grinned brightly as the bystanders watched and mumbled to one another. As they rounded up the remaining criminals they had knocked out, a group of reporters swarmed in with microphones and cameras._

 _One news woman pushed through the rest and came directly to Red Riot with her microphone. "Excuse me Red Riot! You said the name Duality, are you talking about Freeze?" She asked, eyes intensely on the heroes._

 _Explodo moved in, pushing Shouto in front. "Yeah you heard right! This here is Duality now! He changed his name and it's a kick-ass hero name!" The reporters all began crowding around the trio with their microphones out, wanting to hear confirmation from the hero himself._

" _Is this true? Your hero name is Duality now?" Shouto nodded his head. He already got the papers done and submitted immediately with the help of Izuku, now it's the media's job to spread the news like wildfire._

" _Yes, as I've come to embrace both my quirks, I found a change of name could help represent how I feel." That's the only statement he was going to give for them. He didn't want to stay there any longer and let the media ask him pointless questions about why and when and how. The reason was a secret only to a chosen few – he didn't want even more people knowing about his and Izuku's relationship._

 _As Red Riot and Explodo moved to hide Shouto's departure, the dual-type hero reminded himself to give proper thanks to his old classmates. Truly the times have changed, but the dedication and passion of a hero stayed within the two men. Shouto wondered if he was the only one that hadn't changed after U.A. Well, he did change, he was just a late bloomer is all. All he needed was a push from a specific green-haired man._

 _He couldn't wait to see Izuku's reaction to the news._

 _-  
_ Shouto sat in his office chair, completely ignoring the hero work he had to do and instead was texting Izuku on his phone. The papers can wait, Izuku was always going to be more important.

 **[TEXT] IZUKU MIDORIYA :** so this morning i stopped by the office because i needed to pick up mail and on the doorstep was this cute little letter from one of my younger clients! it was a small drawing she did of herself and her quirk which is the ability to sprout wings of any existing organism she studies, cool right?

A smile crept onto Shouto's face. It was absolutely amazing how Izuku's personality and passion for quirk analysis could be clearly conveyed with just a small paragraph of text. He could still see the three dots that indicated more text messages to come so Shouto waited patiently for them.

 **[TEXT] IZUKU MIDORIYA :** the letter was so sweet, it was the end of her quirk development session with me on friday, i wonder when she brought the letter over!

 **[TEXT] IZUKU MIDORIYA :** i definitely need to send an email or get a gift basket sent as a thank you

 **[TEXT] IZUKU MIDORIYA :** oh sorry! Im talking too much, how was your day? feeling more comfortable in your new hero name?

Shouto only chuckled before waiting to see if anymore dots would appear. Once he knows that Izuku is waiting for him to respond, he picked up his phone and began typing.

 **[TEXT] :** I'm happy to know that your clients repay your kindness. It sounds like a cute drawing. My day has been endless patrol and luckily nothing strange or violent occurred. A few civilians called me Duality today.

He smiled to himself about that. The name just sounded right… It fit him.

 **[TEXT] IZUKU MIDORIYA :** omg that's great! im so glad! How did it feel?

 **[TEXT] :** It felt right, like it belonged there.

 **[TEXT] IZUKU MIDORIYA :** ヽ(´∇｀)ﾉ !

 **[TEXT] IZUKU MIDORIYA :** that's amazing! im so glad that you like duality! it's such a good hero name!

Pride swelled up in Shouto's chest as he leaned back in his chair. He couldn't help but feel an array of emotions considering he finally felt like he was the hero his younger self had always wanted to be. Duality was finally someone who could embody the essence of a true hero and bring children hope. And if it wasn't for him meeting Izuku, none of this would have happened.

 **[TEXT] :** Thank you, though you know it's all thanks to you.

A few seconds pass before the three dots appeared on his screen. They vanished and showed up again, repeating itself for a few more seconds.

 **[TEXT] IZUKU MIDORIYA :** (/ε＼*) !

 **[TEXT] IZUKU MIDORIYA :** (/∇＼*)｡o○ !

 **[TEXT] IZUKU MIDORIYA :** ahhh, youre too sweet. you know you're the one that came up with it though!

 **[TEXT] :** Regardless, I don't think I could of feel as happy as I do now without you.

Shouto took a second before looking through his screen's keyboard. He frowned and then went into his phone's browser to look up something. Once he found what he needed, Shouto copied and then pasted it into the messages.

 **[TEXT] :** ( ＾◡＾)っ

He took a deep breath and wondered if sending an emoticon would be appropriate. Whenever Izuku sent one it made Shouto happy so hopefully it does the same for him. Shouto's curiosity was diminished in an instant.

 **[TEXT] IZUKU MIDORIYA :** aaaaaaAAAAAAAHHH!

 **[TEXT] IZUKU MIDORIYA :** THAT'S SUCH A CUTE FACE OMG SHOUTO I DIDN'T KNOW YOU USED EMOTICONS

 **[TEXT] :** I wanted to try it out.

 **[TEXT] IZUKU MIDORIYA :** that's so cute omg it fits you so well too look HOW CUTE IT IS!

 **[TEXT] IZUKU MIDORIYA :** (ಥ﹏ಥ) !

Shouto only chuckled at the response, his cheeks turning a tint of pink as he stood up from his chair. It was decided, Shouto would use more emojis. He went into the browser again and bookmarked the page, reminding himself to figure out if there was an easier way to grab them. Three dots appeared on the message app again.

 **[TEXT] IZUKU MIDORIYA :** oh! Before i forget, are you free at all tonight? i know it's late and we both work tomorrow but,

 **[TEXT] IZUKU MIDORIYA :** theres this cute little night market that opened up here in shizuoka! It actually opened yesterday but it's going to be a weekend thing ever month. wanna go?

He doesn't have to look at the time or think about the consequences of tomorrow – any time spent with Izuku was time well spent. With their work being so demanding, this was exactly what they needed as a couple. Even though they were still deciding on what to do about Shouto's father and the state of his sessions, the appeal of the date outshone anything else.

 **[TEXT] :** Yes.

 **[TEXT] :** (b´ｖ｀｡)

 **[TEXT] IZUKU MIDORIYA :** AAAAAAAHH SO CUTE!

 **[TEXT] IZUKU MIDORIYA :** (ﾉ∀` ) !

Shouto chuckled and left his office to get ready, ignoring the hero paper work on his desk.

It's definitely small, but it's still a nice local event that lights up the night sky with lanterns and creative street lamps. Small tent stalls are opened up featuring locally grown produce as well as other hand-made treats and dishes. Towards the end of the market are a few game stalls and one free merry-go-round that only has a few horses but still pretty enough to entertain the children.

Shouto pulled down his beanie to hide his hair and keep his ears warm. His hands were tucked into his coat's pocket as he looked around for the familiar mess of green hair.

"Shouto!" The voice came from behind him. Turning around, Shouto was tackled by his ever eccentric boyfriend. Izuku hugged him tightly before pulling away and giving him a quick kiss on the lips. Shouto couldn't help but smile, kissing him back and wrapped his arms around Izuku's middle. Slowly the two pulled away before grinning at one another.

Izuku pointed at the different booths. "Isn't it cute? My mom used to take me to a night market whenever we were at grandma's place. She's asleep right now since she tuckers out easily, but I know she would love getting some of the fresh fruits here." Izuku slid his hand into Shouto's and intertwined their fingers. Shouto gripped back and started walking towards the different stalls.

"We can stop by and see the fruits, I'm sure they'll be giving out samples too." Shouto added as he begun looking around the area. Maybe there would be some interesting food stalls they could try out.

They walked around the road checking out the many different tents that coaxed them to coe closer, inviting them to either try their samples or test a product. Izuku had been offered some organic hair gel that made his hair smell like lavenders. Shouto was offered the same but kindly refused, seeing as how odd Izuku's hair became after smoothen out. Thankfully Izuku ruffled his hair once they walked far enough away where they couldn't notice.

Some interesting ice creams were being promoted there. Perhaps it was the local business's way of getting more customers; trying out different ice cream recipes that seem odd would certainly get people curious but is a complete gamble. Was katsudon ice cream really worth it? To Izuku it must be because when he saw the sign he ran towards it.

"Shouto look, they even have pork ramen and chicken teriyaki!" The hero only grimaced. Those foods were all served hot, why would they condense it and make it cold and smooth? Part of eating those dishes was also the texture. It definitely didn't seem appealing to him at all.

"If I get one will you get one too?" Izuku looked up at Shouto with his wide green eyes. Oh no, he can't escape this. Shouto can tell that Izuku really wants to try the katsudon-flavored ice cream but won't do it unless Shouto does as well. Of course Izuku would gladly tell him that it would be alright if he doesn't want to try one and neither would he, but that was the opposite of a solution. Maybe Izuku secretly wanted him to try the ice cream with him in case it was disgusting and they both could suffer together. Shouto sighed and then nodded.

Izuku bought the katsudon one (obviously) while Shouto decided the easiest flavor to try would be the miso soup flavor. If there was a soba one that would be his first choice, but his favorite dish is a bit complex and can be eaten in too many ways. He did eye the yakisoba and curry flavor but chose against those. It sounded like he would get a stomachache if he tried them out.

"Okay ready?" Izuku held out his cup of ice cream and the tiny spoon that was provided. Shouto nodded and on Izuku's count, they took their first bite.

Shouto held the spoon in his mouth for a while, slowly tasting the cold treat. It did taste like miso but it didn't feel right. It was like order a block of ice that had some miso stock mixed in. It wasn't _too_ terrible but it's definitely not a dessert Shouto would actively seek out. He looked from his cup to Izuku's face to see his reaction towards the treat. Izuku's expression was enough to make Shouto spit out his spoon.

Izuku's looking at his ice cream with his brows creased and scrunched. His eyes reflect the feelings of confusion and betrayal while his lips are curved in a grimace. Izuku moves his head up to meet Shouto's own gaze, frowning deeply.

"It's not good…" He moaned in despair.

Shouto burst out in laughter.

-  
The two of them headed down towards the end of the night market with a few bags in each of their hands. Izuku had bought some locally-grown produce to bring home to his mother when he returns and Shouto had found something for his mother as well. A booth was selling some sweet little crystal figurines that reminded him of ice sculptures. It was a tiny little figure of a swan. For some reason it reminded him very much of his mother and felt that she would enjoy it in her room.

In Shouto's other hand was a stick potato cuts while Izuku had a plate of cut fried squid. They had gotten some takoyaki earlier but finished them in less than a few minutes. It was the perfect treat for a cold night.

Izuku had managed to get one of Shouto's arms wrapped around his shoulder under the guise that he was cold. Of course that would be a viable excuse if it wasn't for the fact Izuku wrapped himself on Shouto's cold side rather than his warm.

They got to the end of the night market and watched the spinning lights of the carousel for a few minutes.

"This was so fun… I'm glad you agreed to come." Izuku smiled sweetly over to Shouto who only leaned in to kiss the man's forehead.

"I'm always happy when I'm with you." Shouto replied, causing the other to blush madly. Izuku held onto his face before pointing back the way they came.

"Want to walk back and see if there's anything else we want before we leave?" Izuku asked. Before Shouto could answer, a shrill shriek came from the top of the carousel.

The duo turned around and saw a couple of children hovering around the merry-go-round, looking up. They followed the children's line of sight and saw a girl with wings about forty feet above the carousel. Izuku gasped, grabbing Shouto's arm and dragging him over.

"That's Sachi, she's the client that gave me the letter," Izuku explained in a panic before going over to the children and getting onto their level.

"Hey everyone, I'm Mr. Midoriya, can you tell me what's happening with Sachi?" His voice is calm and friendly. Shouto had never really seen Izuku interact with children other than the boy he saw when he first attended a session.

A boy goes up to Izuku and points up at the girl. "We were asking Sachi to try different wings out and she just did hummingbird and flew straight up!" He explained and then looked up. Another child cupped her hands over her mouth and shouted to Sachi.

"COME DOWN NOW SACHI! WE'LL GET IN TROUBLE!" The girl yelled out, though it only caught more people's attention.

Everyone looked up, Shouto squinting at the night sky that made it difficult for him to spot the flying girl. Izuku stood up and cupped his hands as well.

"Sachi! It's Mr. Mido! Please come down, it's very dangerous to be that high!" Izuku shouted out, nervousness rising in his voice. The girl buzzed around, similar to how a hummingbird moves but it followed with her screams.

"Mr. Mido I don't know how! I'm scared!" She cried out. Izuku kept his eyes up but a hand went to his mouth as he started muttering. All Shouto could hear was a few words here and there – words like _hummingbird_ and _wings_ and _angle._

Izuku finally turned to Shouto after his muttering session. "Shouto! You have your hero license on you?" He nodded, he always has it. "Can you make an icicle to get us up there?" He asked, an idea forming in his head.

"I don't see any other possible heroes around, and with your license we won't have to get anyone in legal trouble if they use their quirk. I can go up with you since Sachi is comfortable with me and it won't scare her. If I'm right, she's going to get tired soon and she won't know how to move her wings." Izuku's eyes were pleading but Shouto has a job to do and to save people is what he sought out to do as a hero. He nodded his head, Izuku smiling with determination.

The green-haired man turned back to the other children. "We're going to help get Sachi down okay? Stay back and stay close together, if you know Sachi's parents are let them know calmly where she is." Izuku looked back to Shouto who pulled off his beanie and began forming ice underneath their feet. Since Shouto always wears boots that are made for any weather, he holds onto Izuku so he doesn't slip. Izuku seemed to have realized quickly that his own shoes weren't prepared for the change of surface and bent down, holding onto Shouto to keep his balance.

The ice continued building, elevating the two as they climbed through the air to get closer to the child. Sachi seemed to have noticed her rescuers and tried to fly towards them, only to drastically change directions away.

"It's okay Sachi! Just stay still and we'll get you!" Izuku called out. The girl quickly stationed herself, though was a bit farther now as a result of her attempt. Shouto slowly moved the ice's pathway to head closer towards the girl but did so cautiously to prevent the weight being distributed unevenly.

As Shouto moved closer, Izuku held out his arms for the girl, motioning her to stay still until they got closer enough to grab her. Sachi looked back and held out her arms, her wings beating in place. When Izuku was closer, her wings started moving rapidly faster, causing her to soar up. After a scream, Sachi stopped her wings and began plummeting towards the ground.

"SACHI!"

In a blink of an eye, Shouto watched as Izuku jumped and grabbed ahold of the child, holding onto her as they both nose dive down to the fairgrounds.

Shouto could feel his heart stop. The person he loved was right beside him and now falling to his death. Without realizing it, Shouto had jumped off the ice and plunged himself towards Izuku and the girl. He wrapped his own arms around the man and held him close, looking down at the ground below.

 _What can I do? How long do I have? If I make an ice block we'll still crash into it and the impact would only cause more causalities. The girl can't use her wings and it was impossible for her to hold onto all our combined weight. Maybe if I_ _make ice and throw fire as well it'll soften the ice but there's no time we're falling we're going to die we CAN'T DIE-_

His eyes closed as they got closer to the ground, bracing himself for impact. If anything, he'll turn so he'll be the one to take the brute of the force, at least then there was a possibility that Izuku and the child would survive. It would be an honorable way to die, sacrificing one's self for-

 _SMACK!_

A body slammed into them, arms grabbing ahold of the mass. Shouto's stomach fluttered, his body feeling light. He looked up to see Ochako Uraraka with a determined face, grabbing ahold of all three of the fallen.

"Tsuyu! Reel us back!" She called out. Shouto looked up to see that her waist was wrapped by a pink rope – well, tongue actually. Looking at where the tongue originated, Shouto saw Tsuyu Asui standing in casual clothes, mouth open and her tongue reeling back.

Ochako held onto the three and was pulled back by Tsuyu until they got closer to the ground. She safely placed them down and released her quirk, taking a heavy breath.

"Oh gosh… I wish I was in my costume, I didn't think I'd have to use my quirk today!" Ochako cried out, a hand on her stomach and the other over her hand. A ribbit was heard next to her, Tsuyu's hand moving to rub the woman's back.

"Do you need water, Ochako?" Tsuyu asked, her tongue releasing the other and moving back into her mouth. Ochako shook her head and turned back to the three, worry spreading across her face.

"Are you guys alright?" She asked. Shouto finally moved to see Izuku in his arms, still clutching the girl. He heard him mutter to her her, asking if _she_ was okay and not hurt in any way. Shouto glanced at the man's body before turning to the other pro-heroes.

"We're fine. Thank you for your help, I don't know what would've happened if you two hadn't shown up." It was purely by chance that two other pro-heroes he knew were there and had the appropriate quirks to help them out of the situation.

Izuku finally stood up straight, his arms still around the girl before looking at Ochako and Tsuyu. "Thank you so much… I'm really sorry you had to save us like that. If I had known you two were around you both could've easily saved Sachi!" He gave a soft chuckle before Shouto placed a hand on the other's shoulder, giving a light squeeze.

"We didn't know what was happening until we saw the ice!" Ochako explained, looking over to Shouto. Tsuyu nodded her head and placed a finger against her cheek.

"We rushed over as fast as we could, we only know one person with an ice quirk – ribbit." Tsuyu added.

Before the others could say more, a woman came running towards them.

"SACHI!" The woman cried. The girl ran out of Izuku's arms and towards her mother, crying and embracing her tightly. Izuku smiled gently before taking ahold of Shouto's hand, squeezing it tightly.

-  
Once the paperwork and hero licenses were presented to the authority, the four decided to walk back down the fairgrounds towards the entrance where the couples would split off.

"I totally had no idea you two were together! When I saw you at the café I had a little thought but I didn't think it was true! Congratulations!" Ochako cried out, moving to hug both Izuku and Shouto. Izuku flushed and once he was released from her embrace, he began covering his face with his hands.

"I think it's cute we both thought of the same date idea – ribbit." Tsuyu added, taking ahold of Ochako's arm when she moved back closer to her.

Shouto's face turned a bit red at the thought. The word 'date' was still so foreign to him, but it brought him immense joy. "The night market was close by, it seemed like a cute idea and it was fun." Shouto replied as Izuku took ahold of his hand.

"This place was close to my house, and you know we're all busy with work – you three way more than me obviously – so I thought that a night date would help solve that problem. It didn't turn out the way I hoped but I still had a lot of fun, did you Shouto?" Izuku looked up at the man with his giant green eyes. Shouto only chuckled, placing a kiss on his forehead.

"Of course I did." He answered. A couple of 'awwws' came from Ochako as she held onto her cheeks.

"You two are just so cute!" She squealed gently before shaking Tsuyu's arm. The frog woman didn't seem the mind the sporadic shaking and only smiled at the two others.

The two couples talked about their relationship for a while, bringing up shared memories and plans for the future. Despite Uravity and Froppy being a part of two different hero agencies, they often teamed up together for rescue missions. Izuku being the only one not a pro-hero, was absolutely fine with listening about their partnership in the field and how they utilize and combine both their quirks and power to aid them. That kind of talk is what gets Izuku's eyes to light up. Shouto is more than happy to allow the conversation to go on as long as he could watch those gorgeous eyes.

Eventually the conversation lead to the certain predicament the two had landed themselves in – fueled by daddy dearest himself.

Ochako stared at the two in disbelief. "So what are you two going to do? Can't you just stop attending sessions and still date?" She offered, seeing it to be the quickest way to resolve the conflict. Shouto only furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head.

"It's not that… I know my father and even though the counseling was one aspect of his rage, I know he's more upset about Izuku being," He squeezed his partner's hand. "Quirkless."

The green-haired man winced a bit, but only smiled sadly and patted Shouto's arm who gave him another reassuring squeeze.

"Is that really enough for your dad to not want you dating him, ribbit?" Tsuyu placed a finger to her cheek, her wide eyes staring at the two.

The two women doesn't know about the nature of Shouto's life and how he is the result of quirk marriage. All families are assumed to start with love, which was never the case in the Todoroki household. His entire being was made in an effort to create the ultimate weapon. To be a tool in defeating All Might. Despite the title of Number 1 Hero being passed to him already, he still had planned for Shouto to carry on the family name and become a high-ranking pro hero as well. It wasn't a shock to Shouto when Endeavor began sending him invitations to lunch meetings with other people. They were all from hero families, known to have powerful quirks and such. It was obvious that his father only wanted to keep his image as strong as possible. To him it was a blunder on their family reputation – a blemish – to have someone not with powerful connections apart of their family. All potentials suitors for Fuyumi had gone through their father, which is why she still remained single at the moment.

"My father is very particular and commanding. It was hard enough for me to get a place of my own without having to fight and argue my way out." Shouto explained gently. Endeavor was a stubborn man, but that was passed down to Shouto as well. Even now he wanted to defy his father and refuse to accept any invitation of peace if it didn't involve Izuku.

"That's really sad…" Tsuyu mumbled, mostly to herself. Ochako was the one that noticed Izuku's concerned face and quickly moved the conversation on.

"But we support you! We'll help you two out any way we can! That's totally not fair that you can't be able to love who you love! Considering Izuku is just an absolute sweetheart and the world's best counselor?" Ochako moved to take Izuku's hands and bounce around. The green-haired man began flushing, grinning at Ochako.

He followed the woman over and bounced to match her pace. Shouto smiled, not jealous like he was previously the last time they met in public.

Tsuyu watched as her own girlfriend danced around with Izuku as they continued walking towards the exit of the fair. She looked to Shouto who returned her gaze.

"You know, you're so much different than who you were in school." She said bluntly. Shouto raised an eyebrow at her before she continued. "You were always so distant and, sorry to say, kind of mean. Ribbit." Tsuyu added.

"Oh." Shouto looked down at the ground and moved to adjust his jacket. "Sorry about that."

"But I can tell you've changed a lot. It seems like meeting Izuku helped you." The frog offered a kind smile. The past Shouto Todoroki wouldn't imagine himself standing next to one of his classmates like this, talking casual at a night fair as they watched their significant others dance about ahead of them. To imagine he'd miss something as subtle, yet sweet as this was unbearable to the current Shouto.

"He's helped me find my way, to really discover who I am and who I want to be." He replied softly, looking to Izuku who was laughing with Ochako. The dimples were noticeable, Izuku's bright smile beamed and shone like the stars that glistened above them. There was no way he could ever give up the man, or ever think to reconsider the feelings he have for Izuku. He had found love and he refused to go back to a time where he was alone with no one to support. He would never renounce his love for Izuku Midoriya.


	9. Session 6 (Kind of)

"Ah, I see how that can be quite a predicament." Through his helmet, Tenya Iida lowered himself onto a knee and began entertaining a child with a signature.

Shouto Todoroki - currently in his hero costume as Duality - stood next to him, staring down at the children who came up to him during their joint patrol. Since teaming up with both Red Riot and Explodo, Duality felt it was time to open up and offer his assistance to others. Considering Tenya Iida was one of the current heroes who was still friendly and kept in contact, he felt it was appropriate to offer his assistance to Ingenium first.

Lately the two have been doing small patrols together that always ended up with them talking about the past. Well, Tenya did most of the talking than anyone else, but Shouto was a good listener to say the least.

After a few patrols together and with Tenya's clever deduction over Shouto's relationship with Izuku, the quiet man had opened up to the other about their relationship as well as his current dilemma. He trusted Tenya, after all Izuku had helped him become the Ingenium he is today. On top of that, Shouto had asked Izuku about telling Tenya who had opened up himself during one of their earlier patrols.

" _It was a dark time for me, that enough was certain. It wasn't that I didn't have my wits with me but I really thought it was possible for me to defeat him." Tenya Iida took off his helmet with one hand, placing it beside him as the moon began to illuminate the dark streets they were walking on._

 _Shouto nodded his head, looking down as they walked, sometimes turning to the side to see if there was any night activity happening about. Their joint route had taken them to a neighborhood, a few houses' windows still lit brightly. Other than that, the street was quiet._

" _It wasn't that I didn't have any friends, I found good companionship with Yaoyorozu and Uraraka, but during that time I've never felt more alone." Tenya stared ahead as they walked around the corner, still patrolling in the quiet neighborhood._

 _During U.A, Shouto did not make any friends. His reasoning was that there was no point in being chummy to people who were seen as competition. Looking back now, Shouto wished he had made more of an effort to get to know his classmates. Even if he wasn't going to openly try to make friends, it might've been nice to have a friendly face look at him than people purposefully ignored. Maybe that was another reason why he wasn't willing to make any friends – no one would've wanted to anyways._

 _It was an absolute shock to everyone when Tenya Iida didn't come back from his internship in Hosu City. Aizawa-sensei had done his best to keep the situation on the low but it didn't take a detective to piece together the facts. Tensei Iida known as Ingenium was left to die in an alleyway in Hosu by the Hero Killer Stain. Out of any other place Tenya could've gone for his internship there was no doubt that his brother's attack had something to do with his choice._

 _Back then Shouto had looked at Tenya at the train station. After the blue-haired boy finished talking to Uraraka he turned, a fierce red shining in his eyes. The look was familiar but Shouto wasn't able to properly place them at the time. Looking back, Shouto could now understand what Tenya was feeling. Resentment. Hatred. Disgust. Determination. Vengeance. The same kind of feelings Shouto had towards his father. Well, he still has those feelings but to a different degree._

 _If only he had recognized Tenya's eyes before then, could he have prevented what transpired after? A better question was, if he_ did _recognize them, would he have done anything? Shouto would've liked to say yes, that he would've tried to talk to Tenya, but that would've been a lie._

" _I'm sorry that I didn't do anything." Shouto said suddenly, his eyes on the floor as they continued their patrol. Tenya only gave the other a chuckle and a small pat on the shoulder._

" _I appreciate you saying that, but what's done is done. I'm very fortunate to be where I am now." Tenya adjusted his glasses before Shouto felt the need to say something else. A thought came to his mind, something the other man had said to him before he ever set foot in Izuku's office building._

" _You said that you've met Izuku Midoriya beforehand right? You said it was after the incident in Hosu." Shouto's head turned to Tenya, sincerely curious as how the two had met so early on. To think Tenya was friends with Izuku as a high schooler, Shouto wondered if he could get any more information on what the green-haired counselor was like as a youth. Maybe he could use them as a teasing point._

 _Tenya beamed, stopping his pace to raise an eyebrow at the other. "Ah, that's right, you're currently seeing him right?" Shouto nodded as Tenya looked back to the street, his arm moving to adjust the helmet against his torso. "He emailed me about a week after I came back to school and the headlines finished chastising me. I must admit to you Todoroki, and please feel free to stop me if I seem like I'm oversharing."_

 _The blue-haired hero leaned against a wall and place his helmet on a bench, taking off his glasses with one hand and wiped it against his neck fabric._

" _Even after my recovery I was in the worst state I could ever have been in. Not only did I feel like a failure for not completing my vengeance, I was left without an arm." Tenya's good arm moved to rub at his other, incomplete limb. "I tried to run again but the missing limb left me unbalance. I couldn't steady myself and I was constantly falling over as if it was my legs that were the problem. I tried desperately to correct myself but I got more and more frustrated with each unsuccessful attempt."_

 _Shouto stared back at Tenya, moving to the bench and offered the other a seat. Tenya nodded and sat down, placing his helmet onto his lap._

" _In my darkest hour I had felt more than a failure – I felt like an absolute disgrace. Even if they didn't say it, I thought my own family had turned their back on me. They didn't of course, but I took it upon myself to think that. I thought, my brother is out of commission and he relied on me to take up his name. Then I went and put myself in danger and became useless. I couldn't be a hero anymore, I was nothing more than a waste to my family." Tenya's eye didn't glisten, but there was a somber expression fixated in his eyes. Shouto could understand the feeling of being a disgrace, considering how much effort was put into his own training, though his motivations were ran by fear of pain early in his childhood._

" _I did consider suicide as a way to preserve my family's honor. As dumb as it sounded, I felt it would've been better if Stain had killed me than left me like this." A silence fell over the two, the darkness of the implication left a lump in Shouto's throat that made it impossible to swallow._

 _Tenya continued on, preventing the silence from taking over. "That was when I got Izuku's email. I didn't understand who this person was or how he came upon to find me, but he gave me a kind of companionship I never thought I needed until then." Clearing his throat, Tenya's face curved into a small smile._

" _I did have friends at school, but they were all busy with their own training to really notice how I was feeling. I don't blame them of course, I was secretive about my emotions." Shouto nodded his head. He too, didn't really remember seeing anything different about Tenya during those times. How stupid of him to think that he was fine, obviously after something like that, certain emotions would've trailed._

" _But Izuku is quirkless, he wasn't training to be a hero and so he had a lot of time during and after school to talk to me. He told me his hobbies as well as his passion to become something akin to a hero. I've never met someone so driven and passionate, not even Bakugou's intensity matched his." That statement made Shouto chuckle, something that was obvious to him now. It was refreshing to hear that Izuku was just as determined as a child, it was so like him._

" _I never mentioned how I was feeling or the trouble I had with my new severed arm, but he was curious how I was overcoming it and I couldn't lie to him. Not after the kindness he shared. After that, he offered to try and help me and with nothing to lose we met in person for the first time towards the end of the first year."_

 _Shouto took a second to let the information sink in. His heart began beating, Izuku Midoriya seemed to never have lost his kindness and compassion, taking all adversaries and pushing forward, using it to help others. Of course it was no surprise to hear this about Izuku, it only reconfirmed his love for the green-haired man._

" _And he helped you overcome it?" Shouto asked, looking at the stump. Tenya smiled and nodded his head._

" _Yes. We tried various things like finding a prosthetic or a counterweight, but ultimately he helped me worked on endurance. It turned out that it wasn't the missing weight, but I was emotionally holding myself back. Izuku helped me overcome that. I will admit, those days were some of the greatest in my youth and when we graduated I gave him my second uniform buttons." Tenya's good hand ran through his hair, a nervous chuckle escaped his lips. Shouto only stared intensely, his heart racing again. Ah the familiar feeling of… jealousy it was._

" _Did you have a-"_

" _HEAVEN'S NO." Tenya turned back towards Shouto and grabbed his shoulder, firmly grasping. "I gave it to him in a matter of brotherhood. He had played an immense role in my school life and my ability to move past my weaknesses. It only felt fair for me to give him it, though I assure you I do not harbor any romantic feelings for him." He patted Shouto's shoulder, the man blushing softly. Shouto turned his face away._

 _The feeling of jealousy simmered. Of course he'd feel that way, Shouto was new to this concept of relationships and time and time again he's been prone to feeling a bit protective of his boyfriend. Though, it doesn't come to a surprise that people would have such strong admiration towards Izuku. He's fantastic, after all._

" _In all honesty," Tenya's voice spoke again. "If it wasn't for Izuku, I probably wouldn't be here. I owe him my life and my career as a hero. Even after graduation we continued being friends and he helped me come to term with finally settling with Ingenium's title. I'm forever grateful." Tenya placed a hand on his heart, a small tear forming in his eyes. Though it wasn't tears of sadness, Shouto couldn't help but lean over slowly and wrap his arms around Tenya, catching him by surprise._

 _Never had Shouto initiated an embrace before, but it felt right to do so. Tenya had willingly shared his life and hardship despite Shouto not being some sort of professional like Izuku. He was also grateful for the blue-haired hero to trust in him to share such an emotional break in his life. A time of his life Shouto was there for, but only as a bystander. He would move on to right the wrongs of his pass and do his best to help others. That's what the difference between him and Izuku was, the latter being a far superior model of a hero._

 _A true hero doesn't just help those who are seemingly weaker or younger, but they are able to help their peers and identify when they need help._

 _Shouto will follow in Izuku's path, to become a better hero and more importantly – a better friend._

 _The blue-haired hero wrapped his arms around Shouto in return, though one couldn't fully embrace the other. A small sniffle came from Tenya before he pulled away, offering a small smile in return. "Thank you Todoroki."_

" _You can call me Shouto." He replied, pulling away. Tenya blinked before turning his face, his head going straight to his face to push up his glasses. Perhaps a blush was spreading across his face, but the man's face turned back before Shouto could check to see._

 _Tenya cleared his throat and sat back on the bench, his hand placed onto his helmet._

" _Why don't you tell me about how your sessions are going?" He asked, making Shouto turn back._

 _The hero smiled gently, looking at Tenya with a sparkle in his eye._

" _About that. Would you like to get something to eat with me after patrol?"_

It's been a few days after Shouto had explained his relationship with Izuku, which Tenya was overly surprised and supportive about, but it wasn't until now after Tenya's pestering that he revealed his current dilemma.

Tenya leaned down to pat the top of a small child's head who held onto his crutches. Shouto couldn't help but notice the child's legs and how weak they looked, being unable to properly stand. Despite that, the boy smiled brightly, his eyes glistening with a form of admiration to Tenya.

"If you continue to train and work hard, you too can become a great hero. Ingenium believes in you!" Tenya beamed, the child's face lighting up with excitement and esteem.

After the two waved goodbye to the children the heroes continued on their walk, Tenya placing his helmet back on and rubbed at its solid chin area.

"I knew your father was quite an overbearing and powerful man, but I never suspected he'd be so against something like this. Though I guess it's common for our types of families." Shouto raised an eyebrow at Tenya before taking a look around at their surroundings.

"Does your family policy who you interact with romantically?" Shouto asked, keeping an eye on a few establishments as they walked by.

Tenya shook his head. "Not for me, I've never been interested in relationships but for my brother they did for a while. Before his accident he had many suitors and dates with various people. My parents always voiced their support but there was that… internal struggle of wanting to make sure Tensei was with someone with a strong quirk or another hero." Tenya waved at a few of the shop owners who greeted him.

Shouto only nodded his head. It truly was something that the older generation internalized, or at least those who come from powerful hero families.

"I'm sure to them it's both a way to preserve their family line but also to maintain their own reputation in some way." Tenya added with a heavy sigh. "I guess it's something we don't think about until we get into a relationship. It seems in your case your father was thinking of his reputation considering your counseling sessions _and_ relationship." Shouto continued to nod his head, listening to the other and processing the information.

"With your father being the Number 1 hero it's more than likely his internalized discrimination has given him a tremendous amount of stress to uphold his reputation. I'm not defending him, mind you, but I believe he is acting without taking your feelings and general life into consideration." Tenya's good hand began making wild gestures, mapping out his train of thought.

A huff escaped from Shouto's lips. "You're right about that. My old man doesn't really care about us." He wondered if Tensei would go through a similar process as to Fuyumi when it came a time to find a possible spouse, but knowing Tenya's family it was highly unlikely they'd do something so conservative.

"Considering he's been trying to set me up with other people, it's not likely he'll let this drop so easily." He added with a somber expression. Tenya nodded his head, frowning deeply though it wasn't apparent from the helmet he wore.

"Have you been going to Izuku for counseling?" Tenya asked.

Shouto shook his head. "Not for counseling, we're taking a break from actual meetings in his office. We spend the weekends together though, usually at night for dates." The night market had been a very pleasant experience, and both Tsuyu and Ochako had asked for more official double dates in the future. "It's been tough since he works Mondays through Saturday and of course we have to work constantly too. Since Izuku was a quirk counselor it was recognized as hero work, but if I were to call any other time off without giving a reason it would look bad." He explained, Tenya nodding.

Of course dates with Izuku were wonderful, but the fact they had to hide themselves like this was just insulting to their love. Shouto wanted nothing more than to share to everyone how amazing Izuku was, to show the world that this is the man who truly belonged to be the world's number 1 hero.

"Understandable." Tenya replied. He continued walking on their patrol, though seemingly deep in thought. "Might I make a suggestion?"

Shouto nodded his head.

"Why don't I make an appointment under myself, and you come along with me as a patrol partner? You wouldn't have to send in the fact you're going to counseling, you'd just be assisting me." Tenya stopped to turn towards Shouto.

He took a second to think about the linguistics of it all. As heroes they had to report back of what they've done during the day and if there are any incidents. It would be true that Shouto would just be on a patrol with Tenya, and no one would look too closely at both their work schedules to find inconsistencies like that. It could work.

"Would you… really do that for me?" He whispered softly, thinking what could possibly happen if his father found out. Would he try and ruin Ingenium's reputation?

"Of course, we're friends after all. This would be a temporary solution of course. But nonetheless, you should be able to have more time with Izuku." He explained. Shouto could feel the feeling of comradery overwhelm him with happiness.

"What would you do during the time?" Shouto asked.

"I won't be wasting time, I assure you! I will catch up on any paperwork I have or assist Mrs. Midoriya!" Tenya raised a hand in determination. Considering how Shouto knows Tenya, it's more than likely the latter. There's no way he'd have any lingering paperwork that isn't done the second it's assigned.

"Thank you Tenya, I would appreciate that." Shouto smiled gently.

The helmet was pulled off and the smile was returned.

"Of course, I'll go ahead and schedule the appointment."

Shouto's original appointment was during the middle of the week, but with Tenya's schedule they had to change it to Saturday. Regardless, it was maybe an improvement. Tenya was able to schedule it so it would be the last appointment of the day which meant that after the session, the two could have the rest of the night together. Whether this was something Tenya consciously organized, Shouto had been extremely grateful.

The two headed into the office building in their hero uniforms as they had to make it seem like this was a patrol. Though the two did patrol awhile beforehand, neither of them bothered to change out of their costumes. Mostly because Shouto was comfortable in his and Tenya would mostly go back outside to help Mrs. Midoriya.

As they reached the floor, Shouto couldn't help but briskly walk inside, heading over to the counter where Mrs. Midoriya was.

"Shouto! Sweetie hi!" She stood up and walked around the receptionist desk to give the man a hug. Shouto responded to the embrace by wrapping his arms around her and gave a quick squeeze.

"Hello Mrs. Midoriya." He greeted before pulling away.

"HELLO MRS. MIDORIYA!" Tenya's voice boomed, though muffled by his helmet. He pulled it off and walked over, the mother giving him a hug as well.

"Tenya hello! This is such a surprise, well not you Tenya I knew you were coming. I didn't know you two knew each other!" Inko smiled and began patting at Tenya's cheek.

Tenya couldn't help but smile with the motherly affection before straightening himself.

"Though I was the one who scheduled the appointment, I did it so I can give the session to Shouto in order to have more time with Izuku." The hero explained, moving to place the helmet down on the desk. Inko's eyes began welling up, her hands moving to cover her mouth.

"What?! Tenya that's so sweet of you! Izuku's going to love that, oh you're so kind to do that, come here!" She pulled the man into another warm hug, her sniffling making Shouto chuckle. Inko's excitement began bouncing off the walls, filling Shouto with a child-like anticipation to see Izuku.

Inko's eyes lit up before she motioned Shouto over. "Come here! Come here! Let's surprise him!" The green-haired woman took Shouto's arm and brought him over to behind the receptionist counter, pulling him into the closet behind her. Tenya was ready to disagree or make some sort of argument before Izuku's door opened.

"I'll see you next week okay, can you promise me you'll work on your homework and show me?" Izuku's voice found Shouto's ears, giving him a jolt of joy though it wasn't obvious to see except for a small curve of his lips. He kept the closet door opened slightly, peeking through the crack to watch.

A small girl walked out of the door, nodding her head silently before catching Tenya's form. Her face jumped from bored to wild enthusiasm, pointing at him.

"DAD IT'S INGENIUM!" She screamed, her voice filled with delight. Tenya blinked before grinning, getting down on one knee and waved with his good hand.

"Hello young miss! Are you perhaps a fan of me?" The hero asked, offering his hand before noticing the girl's shoes being custom-made to fit her extra wheel-like appendages.

"I'm your biggest fan! Look! LOOK!" She screeched, running wildly. Her wheels began rotating, her speed increasing as the young girl ran around Tenya in circles. She stopped in front of him, nearly falling over as her wheels slipped. Tenya pulled his arm over to catch her before she fell, though her face never faltered with excitement.

"I want to be just like you! I'm going to be the fastest hero ever like you!" She brimmed with glee and pride, her father next to Izuku stepped forward.

"Shuna it's time to go! Let's not make mom wait okay?" The father asked but it seemed that Shuna didn't hear or chose to ignore it.

The girl gave Tenya a hug, grinning widely. "Just you wait! I'll be the next Ingenium!" She announced, leading her father to panic slightly at the rather rude statement.

Tenya only laughed. "Alright Miss Shuna, I'll take your challenge. But to be a great hero you must do your homework. Will you show me next week?" He asked, Izuku's face twitching into a smile.

"Yes! Are you going to be here next week?! I'll make sure to do all my homework!" Tenya nodded at the girl's answer before patting her head gently.

"Excellent, I look forward to it. I'll see you next week then, Miss Shuna." Tenya gave the girl a wink and a thumbs up, receiving a squeal of excitement from her. Shuna's father sighed softly before bowing to Tenya, apologizing for his daughter before taking her home.

Shouto couldn't help but notice how nature it seemed for both Tenya and Izuku to interact with children. He's yet been able to console a child like that before, something he actively thought about as his cold demeanor seemed to ward off civilians. He stayed in the closet, peeking out of the crack to watch the men's interaction.

"You know, I've been struggling for _weeks_ to get her to do her homework and just like that you got her to do it!" Izuku laughed before walking over to Tenya, giving him a hug. The taller man laughed before patting Izuku's back with his good hand.

"I'm happy to be of assistance! If you need any other help convincing children the importance of schoolwork, you're free to call me in any time." Tenya pulled away with a smile.

"Don't run me out of my job! Anyways, you didn't tell me why you wanted a session. I haven't seen you in a while, did something happen?" As Izuku asked the question, Inko turned to Shouto and motioned him over.

Tenya shook his head. "On the contrary, I only schedule an appointment so I may give you a token of my gratitude." He took his hand and placed it on Izuku's shoulders, positioning him so his back faced Shouto.

Slowly but surely, Shouto tip-toed over, unsure of what to do. He's never done a… surprise before. Should he cover his eyes? Back in UA he's seen Mina Ashido do that to several of her friends. Shouto chose against it, knowing that if someone were to do that to him he'd react in self-defense. He doesn't want to scare Izuku anyways, so instead Shouto stood behind the green-haired man without doing anything.

Tenya, who glimpsed gently and waited for Shouto to do something, couldn't help but try to stall for something that was not going to happen.

"Uh," He cleared his throat. "First I want to say that I am extremely grateful for you being in my life, you've been nothing but a dear friend and inspiration for me." Tenya started. Shouto only stood there behind Izuku.

"Whoa, what's this about Tenya? That's really nice of you to say but it's sort of coming from nowhere…" Izuku nervously asked, smiling gently. He moved a hand to rub the back of his head, Shouto leaning back to avoid it. Snickering came from Inko who stifled himself.

"It's not from nothing, recently I was reminded of your kindness and wanted to do something for you in return." Tenya explained, his arm moving up and down though in a way to signal Shouto to do something. He only furrowed his brows in response.

Izuku frowned, worry spreading across his face. "You didn't get me something did you? You really didn't have to."

Tenya shook his head and sighed deeply, realizing Shouto wasn't going to do anything. "Here." He reached over with a hand and carefully spun Izuku around.

Shouto waved gently before Izuku's face broke out into a grin.

"Shouto!" He threw his arms around the other, moving to kiss his cheek gently. "What are you doing here? Don't you have patrol work to do?"

Nodding his head, Shouto smiled and wrapped his arms around the man's middle, placing a kiss on his neck.

"Technically, I'm on patrol with Ingenium." He smirked gently.

Tenya jumped into the conversation, pushing his glasses up with pride. "Yes! Shouto has told me of your joint predicament and we came to the idea where I will schedule appointments for myself but have Shouto attend instead!" The heterochromatic hero turned to face Tenya.

"It was all Tenya's idea, he thought of it." Shouto corrected, looking back to Izuku whose freckle shone against his pulled cheeks. It was almost like rays of sunshine were ready to burst on the man's face, filling Shouto with incredulous joy.

Izuku turned towards Tenya with tears forming in his eyes. "Are you serious?! You did this for us?" The blue-haired hero turned scarlet, matching his eyes. He placed a hand on his hip and turned his face, pushing his glasses up.

"Yes, after Shouto explained to me your situation I had to do something. I thought it was unfortunate that you two had so little time together, so even if it's for an hour or so, I assumed this would be a good way for you two to have a bit time with one another." Tenya cleared his throat and shyly looked away. It seemed as if Tenya became more and more timid once realizing he was oversharing to more than just one person.

"If you don't mind, I will be assisting Mrs. Midoriya with her work! Please have a good session!" Inko seemed to have gotten the message and nodded, placing the "Out for Lunch" sign on her desk. She trotted over to Tenya, taking his arm and walked out of the office together.

The door closed and Izuku sighed softly, turning back to Shouto with a smile.

"Won't you come into my office?"

The two hadn't have a session since the day Endeavor came into the office. It was almost as if the two of them weren't sure how to have a session considering how their relationship has enhanced over the month. This wasn't like a date, though it didn't feel like a professional session anymore.

Shouto stepped into the office and waited for Izuku to close the door, unsure whether or not to sit.

"It really was nice of Tenya to do that." Izuku smiled, taking a hold of Shouto's hand. The man nodded and squeezed back.

"He told me about how you two met and what he was going through at the time." Shouto led Izuku over to the couch and sat down. The counselor took a seat close to Shouto, leaning his head against the hero's shoulder.

"Did he? I hope he didn't say anything embarrassing…" Izuku groaned gently, fiddling with Shouto's fingers.

The man shook his head. "No not yet, but I'll be sure to ask next time we're on patrol together."

Izuku's head shot up, eyes filled with playful fear. Shouto couldn't help but smirk, leaning over to give a kiss to the man's temples.

"No, but he did tell me what you did for him. Even back then you were a hero to him. I'm not surprised you were also kind and willing to help a complete stranger." Shouto mumbled against Izuku's head, leaning down to capture his lips gently.

Izuku wrapped his arms around Shouto's shoulders, kissing him back softly before pulling away.

"I saw on the news about what happened, I think anyone would've been concerned. I just reached out because I had a feeling he might've been feeling helpless you know?" Izuku explained gently, reaching up to caress Shouto's face.

"You saved his life." Shouto added, looking into Izuku's green eyes. The brows above furrowed in confusion.

"What do you mean?" It occurred to Shouto that maybe Tenya never revealed what he felt before Izuku had contacted him all those years ago. Whether Izuku should know or not wasn't up to Shouto, despite his desire to let the man know how much of an impact he's made on others.

Shaking his head, Shouto pulled him close. "I don't think you know how much you've made an impact on others. To me, to Tenya, to Asui and Uraraka, to the children you help." He leaned back over to place a kiss on the man's cheek. "You're a hero, Izuku."

"You're always complimenting me like that… It's embarrassing…" Izuku's face turned pink, his shoulders rising with shyness. "As much as I like hearing it, don't get me wrong it makes me feel good, it's a two-way street you know? I'm not able to help people unless they're willing to want to be helped. That's all up to you guys. So thanks for opening up and letting me into your life."

Shouto thought of what might've happened if Tenya refused to answer Izuku's email. The implications of it was a bit too much for him to imagine so Shouto pushed it out of his mind. Instead he went back to think about how extremely humble Izuku was, despite the effort being all of Izuku's.

It was a lesson everyone can use, to always push kindness in the darkest of hours. To be brave enough to reach out to others and offer support. Izuku had saved Tenya's life whether he knew it or not, and to save someone is to be someone's hero.

Shouto leaned over to Izuku, taking his face gently. "Thank you for entering my life." He said gently, moving to kiss Izuku passionately.

Whether he knew it or not, Izuku was a man that didn't deserve hardship. Shouto wanted nothing more than to give Izuku a life of happiness for all the care he's given to others. With his own father hounding on him, it almost seemed impossible to do that – but he had to channel Izuku's determination.

On top of that, neither of them were alone. Shouto had friends now, and one that's willing to risk his own hero reputation to help him spend time with Izuku.

In a way, Shouto can relate to Tenya even more now. While Tenya could've possibly not been around if it wasn't for Izuku, Shouto felt like he too would've been dead in some way. Izuku had saved his life as well and he sought to repay the man any way he could.


End file.
